Islamic State-allied militants shot Jari Bin Abdullah, a Malaysian hostage as he escaped from them during a firefight with government troops on Simisa Island in the southern Philippines, the military said on Friday.
Abdullah, was immediately airlifted to a hospital on nearby Jolo island, said Brigadier General Divino Rey Pabayo Junior.
Troops clashed with Abdullah’s captors, members of the Abu Sayyaf group, on Thursday while on combat operations on Simisa.
Abdullah took advantage of the firefight to escape, but the militants shot him.
He was found lying on the ground about 10 metres from the route of withdrawal of the Abu Sayyaf, Pabayo said.
“The act of shooting the kidnap victim is indicative of the Abu Sayyaf’s hopelessness and desperation as the militants are now surrounded by our pursuing troops,” he added.
“The military is now more motivated to hunt down these terrorists.’’
Abdullah was abducted on December 2018 with two Indonesians while on a fishing boat in waters off the state of Sabah in Malaysia.
Abu Sayyaf is the most violent militant group in the Philippines.
It has been blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks in the country, high-profile kidnappings and the beheading of hostages.
NAN
