18 soldiers killed by Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines Fierce daylong fighting on the southern Philippine island of Basilan also left 52 soldiers wounded.

The clash with Abu Sayyaf was the largest single-day combat loss by government forces in Mindanao this year

At least 18 soldiers were killed and more than 50 others wounded on Saturday in fierce fighting with the armed group Abu Sayyaf and allied fighters on a southern island in the Philippines.
It was the largest single-day combat loss by government forces this year in the restive south, where the military has long battled Muslim separatist rebels and Communist fighters.