Three remaining Malaysian hostages rescued

LAHAD DATU: Malaysian authorities are in the process of bringing home three remaining Malaysians who were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militant group in July last year, Bernama reports.

They are Jumadil Rahim, 24, Mohd Ridzuan Ismail, 33, and Fandy Bakran, 27.

Two other hostages, Tayudin Anjut, 46, and Abdul Rahim Summas, 63, were released on March 23 and flew back to Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Eastern Sabah Security Command Commander DCP Datuk Wan Abd Bari Wan Abd Khalid said the trio were rescued by the Philippine security forces in an operation at Punay, in the Panglima Estino district in Sulu Province last night.

Earlier on Monday, dpa reported Philippine military chief General Eduardo Ano as saying the hostages were rescued by soldiers after their captors hastily left them in a mountainous area in the town of Panglima Estino on the island of Jolo, 1,000km south of Manila, on Sunday evening.

Ano said troops were dispatched to the area after receiving information on the whereabouts of the hostages and their captors.

“The militants were overwhelmed with the number of our troops and they fled,” he said.

The rescue came just three days after the first two Malaysians were rescued by the Philippine military.

The five crew members of a tugboat were abducted in July last year off Sabah.

Ano said the Abu Sayyaf was holding about 20 more hostages, including 12 Vietnamese sailors, seven Indonesians and a Dutch man kidnapped in 2012.

“We call on the Abu Sayyaf to release all their remaining hostages,” he said.