Vietnamese hostage rescued in Philippines

A Vietnamese sailor kidnapped by Islamist militants off the southern Philippines has been rescued after nine months in captivity, the military said yesterday, following the beheading of two fellow crewmen in July.

Philippine troops rescued the hostage on Sunday on Basilan island in the southern Mindanao region, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group, following intensified operations against the militants, authorities said.

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"The hostage was able to run from the militants in the course of military operations and our troops rescued him with the help of local connections," military spokeswoman Captain Jo-Ann Petinglay told AFP.

"We have been conducting continuous operations against (the militants) involving airstrikes. The group was under pressure."