SOLDIERS in southern Philippines rescued a British man and a Filipina from members of the Abu Sayyaf Group, a militant group linked to Islamic State, the Army said on Monday, after their captors fled during a military operation.

The couple, Allan and Wilma Hyrons, were abducted at gunpoint on Oct. 4 from the resort they ran in a neighboring province and were now being looked after at a military camp.

A photograph issued by the Army showed the couple unharmed and eating a meal.

The kidnappers were members of the Abu Sayyaf, a group that operates in the Sulu archipelago and has extremist factions loyal to Islamic State, and linked to at least five suicide bombings in the region in the past 16 months.

“We welcome the rescue of Alan and Wilma Hyrons, the British Embassy in Manila said in a statement. “We extend our gratitude to the government and authorities of the Philippines.”

The Abu Sayyaf is much feared for its banditry, piracy and kidnap-for-ransom business, with targets that include Europeans and 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 group has used terror for profit and to promote its jihadist agenda, according to the US National Counterterrorism Center.

The Philippines does not disclose when demands for their release are met.

Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte has poured more troops into the region to try to wipe out the 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. — Reuters

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