Suspected al-Qaida-linked militants kill 9 soldiers

MANILA (AP) - Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants ambushed a convoy of troops going to market to buy food Thursday, killing nine and wounding two others on the volatile southern island of Jolo, the military said.

The al-Qaida-linked insurgents seized about six M-16 rifles and a two-way radio from the soldiers from the 33rd Infantry Battalion before fleeing near Maimbung township, said Maj. Eugene Batara, spokesman for the military's Western Mindanao Command.

Regional military commander Maj. Gen. Eugenio Cedo ordered troops to pursue the attackers on Jolo, where U.S.-backed forces have been hunting down remnants of the Abu Sayyaf, which is on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations.