At least seven Filipino marines and five militants were killed in a clash Saturday as the military launched an offensive against gunmen who have been blamed for recent kidnappings and of trying to sabotage a road project in the southern Philippines. Nine other marines and about 10 militants were wounded in the gun battle that raged for an hour in a sparsely populated village on the fringes of the coastal town of Patikul in Sulu province, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
