UPDATE 1-British hostages safe after Philippine troops clash with Islamist rebels

(Updates with statement from British Foreign Office)
MANILA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Soldiers in the southern
Philippines rescued a British man and 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 by members of the Abu Sayyaf group on Oct. 4 from the
resort they ran in a neighbouring province.
The Philippine army said they were now being looked after at
a military camp, and issued a photograph of the couple, unharmed
and eating a meal.
"I am pleased to confirm that both Alan and Wilma Hyrons are
safe and well, and being looked after by the Philippine
authorities," Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a
statement.
"We worked closely with the Government of the Philippines on
Alan and Wilma's case over the last two months. I am very
grateful for their tremendous efforts. We are in particular
grateful to the Armed Forces for their courage throughout a
difficult operation which resulted in Alan and Wilma's release."
Abu Sayyaf operates in the Sulu archipelago and has factions
loyal to Islamic State that have been linked to at least five
suicide bombings in the region in the past 16 months.
The group is much feared for its banditry, piracy and
kidnap-for-ransom business, with targets that include Europeans
as well as 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 sent 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; Additional reporting by Estelle
Shirbon in London; Editing by Kim Coghill and Alison Williams)