The Philippine military has killed 25 Islamist guerillas as it presses on with an offensive despite the loss of 18 soldiers, authorities said Tuesday.
Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin gave the toll of Abu Sayyaf fighters as fighting in the southern island of Basilan continued.
"Twenty-five are dead as of now," he told reporters, adding that a senior Abu Sayyaf leader called Furuji Indama was among them.
"This is of major importance because the threat will now lessen because we have gotten one of their heads," he told reporters.
The operation against the Abu Sayyaf suffered a major setback with the death of the 18 soldiers in an initial clash on Saturday.
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