MANILA, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Two alleged Abu Sayyaf militants, including one of the "facilitators" of the Jan. 27 twin bombings in Jolo, Sulu, that killed 23 and injured more than 100, were killed in a clash between security forces and Abu Sayyaf militants in southern Philippines on Monday.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines' Western Mindanao Command said in a statement that fighting, in which three soldiers were injured, broke out around 3:45 p.m. local time in Bangkal, a village in Patikul town in the southern Philippine Sulu province on Monday.

"Firefight lasted for 40 minutes, supported by indirect fires and close air support, resulting in the neutralization of (an Abu Sayyaf bandit) Barak Ingog, one of the facilitators of the bombing of Jolo cathedral," the statement read.

The statement identified the other Abu Sayyaf militant who was also killed in the fighting as Nasser Sawajaan.

"An M16 rifle and personal belongings of the bandits were also recovered," the military said.

Monday's fighting is the latest in a series of military offensives launched in the wake of the fatal Jan. 27 twin bombings in Jolo.

Abu Sayyaf gained notice in the southern Philippines in the early 1990s. It acquired a worldwide notoriety with a series of kidnappings and beheadings.

Philippine authorities referred to the Abu Sayyaf group as nothing more than a collection of bandits.

The Philippine government has formed an army division to hunt down the militants blamed for a series of kidnapping and bombings in the southern region.