At least 16 people were killed and 13 injured on Monday in an ambush staged by members of the militants group Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines, an official said. 
The official said the victims were aboard two jeeps when they were attacked by some 50 Abu Sayyaf militants in Talipao town in Sulu province, Xinhua reported.
 The official said that all the victims were civilians on their way to another area to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday which marks the end of Ramadan. 
Abu Sayyaf is an Islamist militant group based in and around Jolo and Basilan. 
Since its inception in 1991, the group have engaged in terrorism for an independent caliphate in the Philippines.