MANILA, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine military said on Wednesday that it has rescued a Filipino hostage held by Abu Sayyaf militants in Sulu in the Southern Philippines.
Brig. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the military's Joint Task Force Sulu, said Blas Jackosalim Ahamad was rescued by the marines on Tuesday in a village in Panglima Estino, Sulu.
Sobajana said Ahamad's rescue came days after another victim Faizal Ahidji was released by the Abu Sayyaf militants on May 5 in Bangkal village in Patikul, Sulu.
Sobejana said Ahidji was brought by his relatives to the military, prompting the military to launch an operation to rescue Ahamad and the two other policewomen who were abducted by the militants on April 29.
Abu Sayyaf gunmen abducted Ahamad and Ahidji along with the two policewomen on April 29 in the jungles of Patikul, a remote town in the southernmost Sulu province. They were headed to Jolo town from a beach when they were snatched, according to the military.
Sobejana said the military is tracking down the two policewomen who are still in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf militants.
"Efforts to rescue the remaining kidnap victims shall continue," Sobejana said.
The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) is a small, violent, faction-ridden group that operates in the western fringes of the southern Philippine island of Mindanao and on the Sulu islands extending from Mindanao. It has a record of killings and had links with Al Qaeda.
The ASG has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group and helped the Maute militants in attacking Marawi City in May last year, triggering a fierce battle that left more than 1,200 dead.