MANILA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Troops clashed with al Qaeda-linked militants in a remote town in southern Philippines before dawn Tuesday morning, killing one senior rebel commander and four others, the military said.

    Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, commander of the military Western Mindanao Command, said only two bodies of the rebels were recovered while the death of the three others, including sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf group Ridwan Musa, were based on intelligence information. One soldier was injured in the fierce fire-fight.

    Dolorfino said soldiers attacked a suspected hide-out of the group in Sitio Bohe Kimeh village of Tuburan town on the restive Basilan island and the fire-fight lasted for five and a half hours.

    The troops also managed to recover some high-powered firearms, military officials said.

    Basilan is a known strong-hold of the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militant group, which is blamed for the worst terrorist attacks and high-profile kidnappings in the country over the past decade.