British man and his wife rescued from IS-linked militants in Philippines after 'gun battle' with army

A British man and his wife have been rescued from Islamist State-linked militants following a gun battle in the Philippines.

Allan Hyrons, 70, and his Filipina wife Wilma were kidnapped and dragged at gunpoint from the resort they run on the southern island of Mindanao on October 4.

Witnesses said they were taken from a hut to a waiting motorboat in the middle of the night by gunmen from terrorist group Abu Sayyaf.

The couple were free today following a 20-minute shoot-out as government military forces stormed the militants’ jungle hideout 400 miles away on the island of Sulu after a tip-off from locals.

Regional military commander lieutenant general Cirilito Sobejana said: “The valuable [information] they shared led the troops to the hideouts of the bandits.”

He told reporters: “There was a running gun battle. They left the two behind because they could not drag them anymore. They scampered in different directions but our troops are in pursuit.”

Lt Gen Sobejana added that Abu Sayyaf militants were still holding three Indonesian fishermen who were captured recently. The military said the Hyrons were not hurt in the gun battle and no ransom was paid.

A photo released by the military showed the couple smiling in a camp in the southern province of Sulu. They will have a medical check-up and be interviewed by military officials about their ordeal.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab praised the “tremendous efforts” of the armed forces in the Philippines and said: “I am pleased to confirm that both Allan and Wilma Hyrons are safe and well, and being looked after by the Philippine authorities.

“We worked closely with the government of the Philippines on Allan and Wilma’s case over the last two months.”

The couple run a school and a resort in Turkuran in Zamboanga del Norte province. Their abduction last month sparked a massive search.

Kidnapping for ransom is a common practice for Abu Sayyaf, which is listed as a terrorist organisation by the US State Department.

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