Suspected Abu Sayyaf members kill 3 soldiers

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MANILA, Philippines – Three army soldiers traveling on motorcycles to buy food in a market in in Lamitan City were killed by suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen Saturday, the military said.

Regional army Capt. Alberto Caber said the four attackers, who were armed with pistols and also traveling on board two motorcycles, opened fire on the unarmed soldiers as they were about to overtake them on a hillside road near a village in Lamitan City on the southern island of Basilan.

Caber said Sunday that the three soldiers died while being brought to a hospital. Army troops were trying to find the gunmen.

U.S.-backed offensives have considerably weakened the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf in Basilan and nearby islands but the militants remain a key security threat.