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Briton, Filipino hostages safe after troops clash with Islamist rebels

Published 11/25/2019, 01:33 PM
Updated 11/25/2019, 01:40 PM
Briton, Filipino hostages safe after troops clash with Islamist rebels

MANILA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Soldiers in the southern
Philippines rescued a British man and a Filipino woman from
members of an Islamist militant group, the army said on Monday,
after their captors fled during a military operation.
The couple, Allan and Wilma Hyrons, were abducted at
gunpoint on Oct. 4 from the resort they ran in a neighbouring
province and were now being looked after at a military camp.
A photograph issued by the army showed the couple unharmed
and eating a meal.
The kidnappers were members of Abu Sayyaf, a group that
operates in the Sulu archipelago and has extremist factions
loyal to Islamic State, and linked to at least five suicide
bombings in the region in the past 16 months.
Abu Sayyaf is much feared for its banditry, piracy and
kidnap-for-ransom business, with targets that include Europeans
and seamen from Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. Some hostages
were held for years and beheaded when ransom was not paid, among
them a German and two Canadians.
The Philippines does not disclose when demands for their
release are met.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has poured more troops
into the region to try to wipe out Abu Sayyaf. The group remains
influential among local clans and a formidable opponent, with a
small and well-equipped network that operates in the jungles of
Basilan and Jolo islands.
On Saturday, the army said it had killed a man it believed
to be central to the group's planning of suicide bombings and
its coordination with Islamic State. (Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kim Coghill)

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