Zamboanga City, Philippines  - Government troops rescued a kidnapped 7-year-old boy and killed one of his captors Tuesday in the southern Philippines, a Marine commander said.

Brigadier General Rustico Guerrero said the boy was kidnapped by two motorcycle-riding gunmen in front of his house in Isabela City in Basilan province, 900 kilometres south of Manila.

Guerrero said the suspects fired at a nearby marine checkpoint as they tried to escape along with their victim, but Marines chased them into a nearby village.

Guerrero said one of the kidnappers was killed in the shootout while another escaped.

"The boy was safely recovered," he said. "The boy is safe and he was not wounded."

The incident occurred as security forces searched Basilan in search of five other kidnap victims held by Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebels.

The hostages - a Sri Lankan peace advocate, three Filipino teachers and a 9-year-old boy - were abducted separately since last month.

On nearby Jolo island, emissaries of a Muslim leader were negotiating for the release of three International Red Cross staffers who were captured by the insurgents January 15.

Basilan and Jolo are both strongholds of the Abu Sayyaf group, which has been blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks and high-profile kidnappings in the Philippines. (dpa)