Abu Sayyaf Group Sets Free Last Indonesian Hostage
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16 January 2020 11:04 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Muhammad Farhan, a hostage of an Indonesian citizen in the southern Philippines, was finally freed from the hostage of the radical Abu Sayyaf group. Farhan was rescued by the Philippine military at Baranggay Bato Bato, Indanan Sulu on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 18:45 local time.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Thursday, January 16, 2020 explained that Farhan has undergone a medical examination at Westmincom Hospital, Zamboanga and was shown healthy. Next he will be handed over from the Philippine authorities to the Indonesian Embassy in Manila and repatriated to Indonesia.
Farhan is a ship's crew (ABK) and one of the three Indonesian citizens who were abducted in the waters of Tambisan, Lahad Datu, Malaysia on September 23, 2019. Two other hostages, Maharudin and Samiun, were released on December 22, 2019 and had been handed over directly by the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, to their families on December 26, 2019.
With the release of Farhan, currently all Indonesian citizens held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf group have been released.
The Indonesian government expressed its appreciation for the good cooperation from the Government of the Philippines, including the 11th Division of AFP in Sulu, in the effort to free the Indonesian hostages.
The Abu Sayyaf is a radical group in the southern Philippines, which is known for kidnapping ransoms. This group has been divided into factions and is thought to have links to al-Qaeda terrorist networks.
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