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Abu Sayyaf frees hostage in S. Philippines

Xinhua, May 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Abu Sayyaf Group has released a 21-year-old Filipino kidnapped victim in southern Philippine city of Zamboanga, local military said Thursday.

The victim identified as Rian Tan Nunez of Lapuyan, Zamboanga del Sur, was freed on Tuesday at the vicinity of Cawa-Cawa Boulevard in Zamboanga City.

He was reunited with his family on Wednesday night.

Nunez, who was seized along with his grandfather Antonio Tan in March, was kept by his captors in Sulu province.

He was separated from his grandfather while in captivity and they never saw each other again, the military said.

It was not clear if ransom was paid for Nunez's release.

The 400-strong Abu Sayyaf Group, founded in the early 1990s by Islamic extremists, is a violent terrorist group operating in southern Philippines. The group is notorious for a series of kidnappings, bombings and beheadings over the decades. Endit