Government soldiers killed on Tuesday a member of the militant Abu Sayyaf, tied by the authorities to the al-Qaeda terror network, in the island of Jolo, about 950 km south of Manila, a military spokesman said. The fighting erupted ahead of the joint antiterror training exercise between United States and Philippines troops on Jolo island. The Marines attacked an Abu Sayyaf group around 6 a.m. in the town of Patikul, a known lair of the militants blamed for the series of kidnappings and bombings in the Philippines, said Air Force Major Gamal Hayudini of the Southern Command. “One Abu Sayyaf was killed and we have recovered his body. There are no military casualties,” Hayudini said, adding, soldiers tracked down the Abu Sayyaf after civilians tipped off the military.He said security forces were pursuing other Abu Sayyaf members who managed to escape. The offensive came barely a week after suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen killed a government soldier in Mauboh, Patikul, while he was about to meet two civilian informers. It was unknown if the informers helped set up or were involved in the attack.