Bali bombing suspect believed killed in clash

There is a "high likelihood" a Malaysian militant who is suspected of being behind the 2002 Bali bombings was killed in a Philippine police operation, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Sunday's offensive in the southern Philippines had been against a number of "high-value targets" including fugitive Zulkifli bin Hir - who has a $5 million bounty on his head - but turned into a bloodbath when clashes erupted between police commandos and militants.

A total of 44 policemen were killed and 12 others were wounded in the battles, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas said.