(UPDATE) 14 Abu Sayyaf members killed, 19 injured in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (Xinhua) - At least 14 Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members were killed and 19 injured in firefight with the military that started yesterday morning in Sulu, said military officers today.

Earlier, the military said two government soldiers were killed and 16 others injured in a battle involving a combined force of Philippine Army Scout Rangers and Special Forces versus some 300 ASG members that continued into this morning in the mountainous areas of Patikul town in Sulu.

Rowena Muyuela, spokesperson of Western Mindanao Command, said sporadic fighting ensued Wednesday as government forces went on pursuit operation.

She said the intermittent fighting continued until 9 a.m. local time today which had resulted in more Abu Sayyaf casualties.

"Our forces have encountered bigger group of the Abu Sayyaf," said Muyuela, adding that the militants where retreating to evade the pursuing forces.

The 400-strong ASG, founded in the early 1990s by Islamic extremists, is a violent Muslim terrorist group operating in the southern Philippines. The ASG is notorious for a series of kidnappings, bombings and even beheadings in southern Philippines over the past decades.