British man and wife rescued from Islamic State militants in the Philippines after being held for two months
A British man and a Filipino woman have been rescued from kidnappers in the Philippines by the country’s special forces troops, two months after they were abducted from a beach resort.
Husband and wife Allan and Wilma Hyrons were rescued after Filipino troops attacked their captors, members of the militant bandit Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), on the island of Jolo in the country’s southern Sulu province on Monday morning local time.
The soldiers, including those from the Philippines Marine Corps, had been battling ASG members for three days in the town of Penang in an attempt to retrieve Mr and Mrs Hyrons and other kidnap victims.
Early on Monday, after a ten-minute gunfight the bandits abandoned the couple, allowing them to escape.
Later on Monday lieutenant general Cirilito Sobejana told AFP that although the couple had been rescued, troops would continue to pursue their kidnappers.
“The two [hostages] were left behind, they [ASG bandits] could not bring them anymore, so they scampered away to different directions,” he said. “But our hot pursuit continues, our troops are still there on the ground.”
On 4 October Mr and Mrs Hyrons - who lived in the town of Tukuran where they owned a college - were kidnapped from a beach resort on Mindanao island, in the Zamboanga del Norte province.
The Philippine military said that the couple were not hurt in the gunfight, and that no ransom was paid to their captors.
British foreign secretary Dominic Raab said: “I am pleased to confirm that both Alan and Wilma Hyrons are safe and well, and being looked after by the Philippine authorities.
“We worked closely with the government of the Philippines on Alan and Wilma’s case over the last two months. I am very grateful for their tremendous efforts. We are in particular grateful to their armed forces for their courage throughout a difficult operation which resulted in Alan and Wilma’s release.
“Foreign office officials have been in close contact with Alan and Wilma’s family throughout this ordeal. We request their privacy during this emotional time.”
ASG is listed as a terrorist organisation by the Philippines and the US, and has links to the Islamic State group. The group, believed to have around 400 members, is known for beheadings and kidnappings. It was forged in the 1980s among Muslim separatists in the south of the southeast Asian country.
Before Monday’s rescue, Philippine troops had made inroads into suppressing the group, as part of military efforts that have reduced the amount of abductions taking place in the country in recent years.
On Sunday, in a battle in a different area of Sulu province to the region the rescue took place in, five ASG militants were killed.
In May Dutch national Ewold Horn was reportedly murdered by kidnappers on Jolo island. The Philippine military said that Horn, who was 59, was shot when his captors fled from attacking troops.
