Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Philippine security force onMarch 26 rescued three Malaysian hostages who were kidnapped by the militantgroup Abu Sayyaf last July.
According to Commander of East Sabah Security Command AbdulWan Bari Wan Abdul Khalid, the three rescued hostages will be sent to hospitalfor health check-ups before going back to Malaysia.
The newly-rescued hostages were among five Malaysian crewmen of Tugboat Serudung3 kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf on July 19, 2016, off the Malaysian state of Sabah.Philippine troops successfully rescued two of the five crewmen on March 23 andthey were returned to Malaysia on March 26.
Abu Sayyaf, founded in the 1990s, has about 400 militants operating inthe southern Philippines. They are notorious for kidnapping, bomb attacks andbeheading hostages.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the military to huntdown Abu Sayyaf and said he has no plan to strike a peace deal with the group.-VNA