ZAMBOANGA (Updated) -- Troops rescued Wednesday, December 5, an Indonesian fisherman who escaped from Abu Sayyaf bandits in the hinterlands of Sulu.
The Sulu Provincial Police Office identified the fisherman as Usman Yusuf, 30, who was rescued by the intelligence personnel of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-1 (MBLT-1) around 8 a.m. Wednesday in the village of Bual, Luuk, Sulu.
Yusuf escaped from the bandits in Bud (Mount) Bawis, Panamao and ran toward a residential area in Bual, Luuk.
The MBLT-1 brought Yusuf to Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital in the village of Busbus, Jolo, Sulu.
The Abu Sayyaf seized Yusuf and his boat skipper, Samsul Saguni, 40, from a fishing vessel around 1 a.m. of September 11 near Gaya Island, Semporna, Malaysia.
The names of Yusuf and Saguni were not in the list of hostages since there were no confirmation they were taken to Sulu after they were seized in Semporna.
The Abu Sayyaf is still holding captive three foreigners -- Indonesian, Vietnamese and Dutch -- and three Filipinos in Sulu. (SunStar Philippines)