Philippine troops kill three suspected militants as Covid-19 cases keep rising and total climbs to 1,143,963

An elderly woman is inoculated with China's Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine in Quezon city, Philippines on Friday, May 14, 2021. The Philippine president has eased a coronavirus lockdown in the bustling capital and adjacent provinces to fight economic recession and hunger but still barred public gatherings this month, when many Roman Catholic summer religious festivals are held. - AP

MANILA, May 16 (dpa): Three suspected Islamist militants were killed on Sunday in a clash with government troops in the southern Philippines, the military said.

Soldiers were on a patrol when they encountered the militants in a village in Sumisip town in Basilan province.