ZAMBOANGA, Philippines, Feb 3, 2010 (AFP) - A soldier has been killed and 12 other people have been wounded in two roadside bomb attacks in the lawless southern Philippines, police said Wednesday.

Abu Sayyaf Islamist militants operating in the region are suspected of being behind both attacks, which occurred within minutes of each other on Basilan island on Monday, they said.

The first attack targeted an armoured vehicle owned by Ben Hataman, a candidate for mayor in May elections, said Senior Superintendent Antonio Mendoza.

One of Hataman's relatives and three supporters sustained shrapnel injuries and were treated at a local hospital, Mendoza said.

A second roadside bomb in a neighbouring village killed a soldier and wounded eight others who were all aboard an armoured troop carrier, he added.

"We are taking steps to ensure the safety of everybody in Basilan. There is an ongoing operation against lawless elements," Mendoza told reporters by telephone.

The Abu Sayyaf, which allegedly has ties with Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, has been blamed for the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines.

The Basilan police chief meanwhile said police reinforcements have been deployed on the tiny island of Bubuan off Basilan to try to separate two Muslim clans whose members have been engaged in running gunbattles since last weekend.

One person has been killed and two others wounded in the clan war, he added.