Three more Malaysian hostages rescued

KOTA KINABALU: The last three Malaysian hostages were rescued by Philippine security forces from the Abu Sayyaf militant group late Sunday.

Eas ter n Sabah Secur i ty Command (ESSCom) Commander Datuk DCP Wan Abd Bari Wan Abd Khalid said Fandy Bakran, 26 and Mohd Jumadil Rahim, 23, from Tawau, and Mohd Ridzuan Ismail, 32, from Pahang were rescued by the Philippine security forces in an operation at Punay, in the Panglima Estino District in Sulu Province.

Abdul Wan Bakri said the three were safe and arrangements would be made to bring the three home as soon as possible.

Phi l ippine mi l itary chief General Eduardo Ano yesterday said troops found the three captors before midnight Sunday in a mountainous area of Jolo island after they were abandoned by their Abu Sayyaf captors.

The three Malaysians were taken to a military hospital for treatment, said Ano, adding that their recovery meant there were no more Malaysian captives in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf.

Last Thursday, Malaysians Tayudin Anjut, 45 and Abdul Rahim Summas, 62, were rescued by Philippines security forces after Abu Sayyaf members abandoned them while f leeing from a mangrove area in Barangay Karudong, Kalinggalang Caluang, Sulu. The duo was reunited with their families yesterday morning at the residence of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in Taman Duta.

The five Malaysians were reported missing last year after the tugboat Serudong 3 was found abandoned at Dent Haven, off Lahad Datu, on July 18. They were heading from Sandakan to Semporna the previous day when they were ambushed by Abu Sayyaf kidnappers.

The Abu Sayyaf, whose leaders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, have long engaged in kidnapping for ransom -- often targeting foreigners.

In recent months they have taken to seizing sailors from ships in waters between the southern Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. Maritime security officials have warned that the region is in danger of a “Somaliatype” situation unless action is taken.

The International Maritime Bureau said in January the number of maritime kidnappings hit a 10-year high in 2016, with waters off the southern Philippines becoming increasingly dangerous.

Ano credited the recovery of the three Malaysians to the pressure placed on the extremists by a military operation in Jolo.

However in the past, the mysterious releases of hostages have been linked to secret ransom payments. Ano said the Abu Sayyaf are still holding seven Filipinos and at least 20 foreigners including Vietnamese, Indonesians and a Dutch birdwatcher.

Citing intelligence sources, he said the foreign hostages were “okay”.

The Abu Sayyaf, established with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s al- Qaeda network in the 1990s, last month, beheaded an elderly German yachtsman who was abducted last year after failing to extort ransom for him.