Posted on 06/06/2003 9:18:30 AM PDT by knighthawk
MANILA: The Abu Sayyaf's longest-held hostage had escaped from the extremist group following a gunbattle between Philippine marines and his captors, a military spokesman said on Friday.
Roland Ulah escaped on Wednesday after more than three years in captivity in the confusion of the clash outside Patikul town on southern Jolo island, Lt Col Daniel Lucero said. One marine and an undetermined number of guerrillas were killed and 11 other soldiers were injured, he added.
Lucero said that Ulah hid in a ravine and was found by local villagers the following day when he asked for directions to get to Jolo town, the capital of Sulu province, about 940 km south of Manila.
Patikul vice-mayor Ismon Suhuri said that Ulah, who had lost weight and grown a beard, reported that the military operation broke up the Abu Sayyaf group holding him, giving him the opportunity to escape. "I expect the operation will intensity now that Ulah has escaped," Suhuri said.
Ulah, a Filipino, was seized in April 2000 when Abu Sayyaf rebels raided the Malaysian resort of Sipadan, where he worked as a handyman, refilling scuba tanks, running errands and cooking food. Also abducted were a South African couple, three Germans, three French, two Finns, nine Malaysian resort workers and another Filipino worker.
The hostages were taken to Jolo, which is close to the border with Malaysia. The other hostages were released after several months in exchange for millions of dollars, reportedly paid by Libya. It was unclear why the guerrillas held onto Ulah. One account said a rebel faction which did not get a share of the ransom seized him from the guerrillas who raided Sipadan.
In 2001, the Abu Sayyaf went on another kidnapping spree, seizing more than 100 people, including three American tourists taken from a Philippine resort island.
Most of the hostages escaped or were released after ransoms were paid. About 18 were killed by the guerrillas, including an American man who was beheaded. Another American was killed in a rescue operation last June, but his wife was recovered by soldiers.
The US military conducted a six-month counter-terrorism exercise last year to help the Philippine military fight the Abu Sayyaf, which has been loosely linked to al-Qaeda and is on the US list of foreign terrorist organizations. A similar exercise is planned for later this year.
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