Philippine soldiers engage in gunfight with rebels, rescuing Vietnamese hostages.

More than 10 gunmen from the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group have been killed. There is still no information on the fate of the Vietnamese crew members who were kidnapped by the group.

Philippine Army Major General Carlito Galvez (right) visits wounded soldiers after clashes with Abu Sayyaf militants. Photo: Philstar

Reuters quoted Major General Carlito Galvez, commander of the western Mindanao military district, as confirming that a raid on Abu Sayyaf was launched on April 2nd in an effort to rescue dozens of hostages they had taken.

The gunfight between the two sides lasted for about an hour, with many casualties on both sides.

Galvez did not say how many soldiers the army had deployed. However, according to him, his soldiers clashed with about 100 Abu Sayyaf militants led by Radullan Sahiron, who is on the US State Department's wanted list with a $1 million reward.

The military deployed 105mm artillery to shell the Abu Sayyaf base in Talipao town. Philippine authorities believe this is where they are holding six Vietnamese crew members hostage for ransom.

"The 105mm artillery shelled their stronghold directly. More than 10 were killed. We discovered many mutilated bodies upon arrival, but we continued our pursuit," General Galvez said.

The Philippine military also suffered casualties. Thirty-two soldiers, including a battalion commander, were wounded by shrapnel from Abu Sayyaf grenades.

Abu Sayyaf's tactic is to kidnap foreign sailors for ransom. A small but highly extremist group with links to the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization, Abu Sayyaf has previously carried out executions of hostages when their demands were not met.

Last month, in an effort by the Philippine military, five Malaysian and two Filipino crew members were rescued from the Abu Sayyaf group.

According to Tuoi Tre newspaper