Colonel Restituto Padilla

Philippine troops clashed on Tuesday with Islamist militants on a remote southern island and 15 people were killed as security forces step up an offensive against rebels who beheaded a Malaysian captive, an army spokesman said.

Philippine troops clashed on Tuesday with Islamist militants on a remote southern island and 15 people were killed as security forces step up an offensive against rebels who beheaded a Malaysian captive, an army spokesman said.