It has been shown that at elevated temperatures silicon is preferentially sputtered from Ti and Co silicides during low energy Ar ion bombardment. The Si sputtering yield under these conditions is shown to substantially exceed that of pure Si, as well as that it is a function of the ion current density. On the other hand, the sputtering yield of the metal is found to be substantially smaller than that at lower temperatures under the same conditions. These effects have been studied both experimentally and numerically using the dynamic T-DYN program. it is shown that the increased Si sputtering yield is partly due to the so-called sputter yield amplification effect (which is a purely ballistic effect independent of temperature), while its sustenance with dose is caused by thermal and ion beam induced diffusion and segregation of Si at the surface.