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ZAMBOANGA (AFP) - Marines and members of an armed gang fought a 20 minute gunbattle Wednesday on the restive southern Philippine island of Basilan leaving a civilian wounded, the military said.
Marine Colonel Ramiro Alivio said his troops raided a lair of a "private armed group" identified with an unnamed local politician, triggering the shootout.
He said the gunmen were led by Kiram Hambal, described by the military as an Islamic militant belonging to the Abu Sayyaf, which has been blamed for the country's worst terrorist attacks.
Alivio said the group was not Aby Sayyaf, a small gang of self-styled Islamic militants believed to have once received funding from the Al Qaeda, itself.
Abu Sayyaf has also forged links with Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), blamed for the October 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia, which killed 202 people.
The military has said the terrorist group has split into many cells throughout Basilan and nearby Jolo island since government forces launched an assault last year.
Alivio said his men found munitions, backpacks and clothes after the gunmen fled. No government casualties were reported.
Scattered violence blamed on warring politicians has persisted in the Philippines, a week after the May 14 mid-term election.
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