Sept. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Two U.S. Navy servicemen and one Filipino soldier were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in the Muslim-majority southern Philippines, the first American military personnel to die in the country since 2002.

The two members of the U.S. Navy’s Construction Battalion were “non-combatants” working on a road in Jolo island, Philippine military spokesman Romeo Brawner told reporters in Manila. Last week, the Philippine army overran a camp on the island to combat leaders of terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, which has links to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah.

“This should not be construed as increased operational capability on the part of Abu Sayyaf group,” said Mars Buan, a Manila-based senior analyst with Pacific Strategies & Assessments, a risk consultancy. “It’s more of a response to the heightened operational tempo of the Philippine military’s counter-insurgency efforts.”

Philippine authorities have killed scores of Abu Sayyaf militants since they vowed to “finish off” the group two months ago. The army’s gains have mirrored successful operations against al-Qaeda-linked groups over the past month in Indonesia, Pakistan and Somalia.

As many as 600 U.S. troops provide tactical training and advice on delivering humanitarian aid to communities affected by terrorism in the Philippines, where more than 17,000 U.S. personnel killed in World War II are buried. The southern islands are home to most of the country’s Muslim minority, some of whom have been fighting for independence for decades.

The two Americans “lost their lives serving others and we will always be grateful for their contributions to improve the quality of life on Jolo,” U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney said in a statement.

President Barack Obama in July said the Philippines has made “good progress” in battling terrorism after a meeting with President Gloria Arroyo. The U.S. provided $132 million in aid to the Philippines last year, about 60% of which went to Mindanao in the southern part of the country, according to the State Department.

The counter-terrorism task force, run by the U.S. Army Special Forces, primarily targets Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah, an Indonesia-based group linked to al-Qaeda. The Philippine and U.S. governments say Abu Sayyaf is responsible for dozens of bombings and kidnappings.

The U.S. military’s presence in the Philippines probably will be a contentious issue in the Southeast Asian nation’s elections next year, Filipino Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, a potential candidate, said earlier this month. A 10-year-old accord governing American forces there continues to draw fire from opponents critical of the U.S. role in their country.

Indonesian police on Sept. 18 said they killed Noordin Mohammad Top, who the U.S. says played a role in attacks that killed more than 300 people since 2002.

Pakistan says the Taliban leadership is in disarray in the northwest after the army drove fighters from Swat and is undertaking raids in the tribal area.

Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, who was a suspect in attacks seven years ago on a hotel and an airliner in Kenya, was killed by U.S. special forces in a raid in Somalia Sept. 15.

To contact the reporters on this story: Francisco Alcuaz Jr. at falcuaz@bloomberg.net; Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok at dtenkate@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 29, 2009 06:29 EDT