Two soldiers were killed Friday in a roadside bomb explosion in the southern Philippines, a navy commander said. One soldier was also injured in the blast along a highway in Sumisip town in Basilan province, 900 kilometers south of Manila, dpa quoted Rear Admiral Alex Pama as saying. Pama said the soldiers were on their way to a village where residents reported spotting two Chinese men who were seized by suspected Abu Sayyaf rebels in November. The kidnap victims were abducted from a Chinese-owned woodcraft factory in the nearby town of Maluso. The Abu Sayyaf rebels have allegedly demanded 13 million pesos (282,608 dollars) ransom in exchange for the men's release.
