Philippines rescues 3 Malaysian kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf

Manila, March 27 : Philippine security forces have rescued three more Malaysian sailors kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf terror group, said Malaysian officials on Monday.

The Eastern Security Command of Sabah confirmed to official news agency Bernama that the rescue of the hostages took place on Sunday night during a Philippine Army operation on the island of Jolo, Efe news reported.

Philippine marines rescued two other hostages on Thursday from the same island, while they were pursuing a group of between 20 to 30 rebels.

The five sailors were kidnapped in July when their boat was attacked near Lahad Datu by the terror group, which demanded around $2 million in ransom.

On Saturday Philippine security forces also released on Basilan island, north of Jolo, a freight ship captain abducted and taken hostage on Thursday.

Abu Sayyaf has kidnapped dozens of people, mostly the crew members of vessels, in the southwestern Philippines and northeastern Malaysia.

The group, which sympathises with the Islamic State (IS) terror group and uses ransom money to finance their activities, in February beheaded a German hostage after the ransom deadline expired.

Around 30 people, including foreigners of various nationalities, are still under the control of the terrorists.