Eighteen soldiers and five Islamist militants have been killed in a clash in the southern Philippines.
Fifty-three soldiers and 20 members of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group were also wounded in the fighting in Tipo-Tipo town of Basilan province, 900km south of Manila, regional military spokesman Major Filemon Tan said on Sunday.
The slain militants included a Moroccan national identified as Mohammad Khattab and a son of senior Abu Sayyaf commander Isnilon Hapilon, who is wanted in the United States with a $US5 million ($A6.66 million) reward for his arrest.
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