Philippine troops kill 11 Islamic militants in one of bloodiest anti-insurgency offensives this year

By JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine authorities say troops, backed by airstrikes and artillery fire, have killed 11 suspected Islamic militants near a hinterland village in the country’s south, in one of the military’s bloodiest anti-insurgency offensives this year. The military launched the operation Friday after receiving intelligence about the whereabouts of suspected leaders and armed followers of the Dawla Islamiyah and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters groups, military officials said Saturday. After decades of debilitating armed hostilities, the Philippine government signed a 2014 peace pact with the largest Muslim separatist group in the south, easing clashes, but smaller Muslim separatist groups continued to wage attacks.