The Philippine military says government troops have captured two camps belonging to the Islamist Moro National Liberation Front, killing eight Muslim rebels.
Military officials say the raid took place on the southern island of Jolo in retaliation for an attack on a marine outpost near the town of Panamao Friday night, which left two soldiers and a child dead.
The officials say Sunday's raid aimed to capture the Front's commander Habier Malik and his followers. Malik escaped to the jungles, but the military says he is now isolated and on his own.
Malik embarrassed the army in February when he held government and military leaders hostage. The hostages were released unharmed.
The MNLF signed a truce with the government in 1996, but relations have remained tense.
Some members of the MNLF are considered sympathetic to Abu Sayyaf, an al-Qaida-linked group active on Jolo island.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.
