CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines (AP) — Philippine troops clashed with Muslim militants in a gunbattle that left at least seven soldiers and two rebels dead in a fog-shrouded hinterland in the south, military officials said Monday.
Military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said four other soldiers were wounded in the army offensive Sunday against fighters of the Dawlah Islamiyah, a small armed group aligned with the Islamic State group, near Munai town in Lanao del Norte province.
Troops were hunting a still-unknown number of militants, who withdrew from the scene of the battle,…
