Philippine troops rescued two abducted Indonesian sailors in a Sunday pre-dawn raid on an Islamist militant stronghold which left two dead, a military official said.
A soldier and a militant of kidnap-for-ransom group Abu Sayyaf -- which was behind some of the nation's worst attacks -- were killed during a 30-minute gunfight in the mountainous town of Panamao on the southern island of Jolo.
"During the firefights, the two victims managed to scamper away (from the militants) and we were able to rescue them," military commander Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana told AFP.