British man and wife rescued from jihadist militants in Philippines after gun battle

Couple’s ordeal over after weeks in hands of terror group

Wilma and Alan Hyrons were captured by Isis militants on 4 October (AP)

Soldiers in the southern Philippines rescued a British man and woman from members of an Islamist militant group, the army said on Monday, after their captors fled during a military operation.

The couple, Allan and Wilma Hyrons, were abducted at gunpoint by members of Abu Sayyaf, a group with links to Isis, on 4 October from the resort they ran in a neighbouring province.

The Philippine army said they were now being looked after at a military camp, and issued a photograph of the couple, unharmed and eating a meal.

“I am pleased to confirm that both Alan and Wilma Hyrons are safe and well, and being looked after by the Philippine authorities,” Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, said in a statement.

“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 the Armed Forces for their courage throughout a difficult operation which resulted in Alan and Wilma’s release.”

Abu Sayyaf operates in the Sulu archipelago and has factions loyal to Islamic State that have been linked to at least five suicide bombings in the region in the past 16 months.

The group is much feared for its banditry, piracy and kidnap-for-ransom business, with targets that include Europeans as well as 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 Philippines does not disclose when demands for their release are met.

Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has sent more troops into the region to try to wipe out 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