Armed Forces of the Philippines soldiers carry the flag draped coffin of one of the seven dead soldiers arriving in Manila, Sunday. Fourteen people were killed as troops clashed with a militant group blamed for the country’s deadliest terror attacks. The fighting left seven Filipino marines dead and nine others injured on the remote southern island of Jolo, military spokesmen said. Government troops backed by assault helicopters were hunting down the fleeing militants, who were believed to be led by Jul-Aswan Sawadjaan, an Abu Sayyaf commander accused in the kidnappings of a Jordanian journalist and two European bird watchers who are still being held by the militants. One of Sawadjaan’s sons and a minor Abu Sayyaf commander are believed to have been killed in the firefight, said Cenabre, who heads security forces in Sulu. He said the marines initially had difficulty returning fire because the dozens of militants took cover near a row of houses. — AFP