ZAMBOANGA - Police commandos clashed with Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants in the province of Sulu, killing 3 bandits and wounding several others.

Members of the Special Action Force launched the attack in a remote village on Jolo island after intelligence reports pinpointed the whereabouts of the gunmen, provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Joseph Ramac said.

"Special Action Force commandos clashed with the Abu Sayyaf and killed Gafur Jumdail in the village of Lapa," Ramac said, adding that several other militants were also believed wounded but escaped.

Two unidentified Abu Sayyaf fighters were also killed in the encounter, reports said. Authorities also recovered M14, M16 and Baby Armalite as well as some ammunitions and documents in the area.

Gafur was a brother of Abu Jumdail, one of the Abu Sayyaf's top operatives who has had a $100,000 bounty put on his head by the United States.

Jumdail's Abu Sayyaf unit was believed to be responsible for the abduction of a local television news crew in 2008, who were freed days after reportedly paying a ransom.

The group was also blamed for last year’s ambush on a police convoy in which the island's police chief and several others died.

Following the encounter, the forces of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Mindanao were placed on full alert status on Sunday to prepare for "possible retaliatory terrorist actions" by the Abu Sayyaf.

The remains of the 3 Abu Sayyaf members were brought to Zamboanga City.

The Abu Sayyaf is a small gang of Islamic militants blamed for the country's worst terrorist attacks, including a ferry bombing that left over 100 dead on Manila Bay in 2004.

It is also on the US government's list of wanted foreign terrorist organizations, after two Americans seized along with a group of tourists in 2002 were killed in captivity.