Militant 'shot dead' in Philippines

The Philippines army has claimed that a leading figure in the Abu Sayyaf militant group has been killed.

According to military officials, Abu Sulaiman was shot dead in a gun battle between soldiers and the militant group on the southern island of Jolo.

Sulaiman had a $5 million bounty placed on his head by the US following his role in the abduction of a number of tourists in the Philippines in 2001 and is also thought to have links with al-Qaeda.

He is blamed for the bombing of a local ferry in 2004 that killed around 100 people.

"We have resolved that this group and their major commanders must be finished off, that this notorious group should see its end," said General Hermogenes Esperon, the head of the Philippines military, according to the AP news agency.

The military said in December that the leader of the Abu Sayyaf group, Khaddafy Janjalani, had been killed in September, although this has not yet been verified.