Philippine military rescues two foreign hostages from Abu Sayyaf armed forces
The Philippine military said on the 5th that government forces have successfully rescued two foreign hostages kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf’s armed forces in Sulu Province, southern Philippines, including a Malaysian, an Indonesian, and an Indonesian hostage. Lost in the rescue operation.
The Philippine military's Western Mindanao Command issued a statement saying that on the afternoon of the 5th, the Philippine Marine Corps encountered Abu Sayyaf militants on a small island in Sulu Province. At that time, the militants took two hostages and tried to escape into the sea. After fighting, Philippine soldiers killed three Abu Sayyaf militants. One of the two hostages drowned and the other was rescued. It was confirmed that the two hostages were Indonesians.
The Western Mindanao Command also stated that the Philippine Marine Corps exchanged fire with a group of Abu Sayyaf militants on the same island on the afternoon of the 4th. During the retreat, the militants shot and wounded a Malaysian hostage held by them and abandoned them. After the battle, the military sent the hostages to a military hospital for treatment. His current physical condition is stable.
According to the Philippine military, these three hostages were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf's armed forces in the same abduction incident. In December last year, the ship the three people were on was intercepted by a group of Abu Sayyaf militants off the coast of Sabah, Malaysia. The three people were subsequently kidnapped to the jungle in the Sulu province of the Philippines.
The Abu Sayyaf armed forces were established in the early 1990s, mainly operating in the southern region of the Philippines, and have participated in a series of terrorist attacks and kidnappings. Under the attack of government forces, the organization's power has been weakened. According to statistics from the Philippine military, there are currently 300 to 400 Abu Sayyaf armed forces.