Two Filipino hostages walked free in the Philippines yesterday after three weeks of captivity with Muslim rebels, and the government said the rebel leader who kidnapped them had been killed.
The most senior civilian official on Basilan, the island stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf rebels, said he had confirmation the guerrilla chief, Khadafy Janjalani, was killed in a shootout with troops two weeks ago.
The two freed hostages were a 12-year-old girl, Kimberly Jao, and a 50-year-old man, Francis Ganzon. The pair walked free after their families apparently paid ransom.
They were among three Americans and 17 Filipinos abducted by the Abu Sayyaf from an upscale beach resort on May 27, taken by powerful speedboats over 500km of sea to Basilan and kept under armed guard in jungle hideouts as the gunmen fought off pursuing troops.
"The [military] pressure is too much for them [the rebels], so they are trying to ease the pressure by giving these hostages," said a senior official, who requested anonymity.
But local officials said there was little doubt ransom was paid. They said the two were escorted from a guerrilla camp on Basilan by a local Muslim leader who had claimed in a radio interview three days ago he was being held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf.
Presidential spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said the three were allowed to leave by the guerrillas two days ago and reached Isabela, the capital of Basilan, after walking through dense jungle.
They then took a ferry to the nearby city of Zamboanga, where the three were taken in by the military and given a meal. Jao and Ganzon, the youngest and the oldest among the hostages, were later brought to Manila in an air force jet.
Newspapers have said over the past two days that the Abu Sayyaf were preparing to free two hostages in exchange for 10 million pesos (US$200,000) in ransom. Jao's mother Letty and Ganzon's wife Teresa, who were also taken captive, were freed to arrange the ransom, the papers have said.
At least nine of the original 20 hostages have escaped or been freed amid bitter fighting between government troops and the Abu Sayyaf on Basilan. Two of the hostages have been found dead, apparently killed by the guerrillas.
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