Two Abu Sayyaf militants were killed, while two others were wounded and captured, in a gun battle between the group and military troops in Sulu in southern Philippines, the military said on Tuesday.

Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief Lt. Gen. Arnel Dela Vega, said the clash happened shortly after 5:00 am Tuesday in the village of Lihbug Kabaw, Panglima Estino, Sulu.

According to the top official, the military troops were conducting a focused military operation when they ran into more than 100 Abu Sayyaf militants, led by the one-armed leader, Radullan Sahiron.

The 3-hour firefight resulted in the deaths of two militants and the capture of another two, who were wounded in the gun battle. No one in the military side was killed or wounded, dela Vega added.

"I commend the troops of the Joint Task Force Sulu for their unrelenting efforts to eradicate the menace of society," dela Vega said.

The focused military operation was executed to rescue the 10 remaining hostages, who are still held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf militants in Sulu, including two foreigners -- one Dutch and one Vietnamese -- and eight Filipinos.

Abu Sayyaf, a radical Islamist group in the Philippines, often carries out kidnappings, bombings and beheadings in western Mindanao, particularly in their lair in the island provinces of Basilan and Sulu.