At least seven marines and four Abu Sayyaf militants have been killed in a clash amid an offensive against al Qaida-linked gunmen accused of carrying out recent kidnappings in the country’s south, Philippine military officials said.

Gunbattles between al-Qaida-linked guerrillas and the Filipino military in the south of the country killed at least one marine and wounded 24 troops, the military said today, as the country’s president said the government was on the verge of wiping out the militants.