Philippine troops kill Abu Sayyaf militant wanted for kidnappings

Soldiers fatally shot a suspected Muslim militant wanted for alleged kidnappings, after he pulled out a pistol as they approached him in the southern Philippines, an army general said Sunday.

Soldiers had spotted Jamal Taib in the remote Maluso township on southern Basilan island and a group of special forces were approaching him on Saturday when he pulled out the weapon, prompting the soldiers to shoot and kill him, said regiment commander Brig. Gen. Arturo Ortiz.

Taib allegedly was a follower of the late Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and was wanted by authorities for a string of kidnappings in the country's volatile south. The military had …