The Abu Sayaff who abducted Norwegian national Sekkingstad along with two foreigners and one Filipina past year, freed their remaining hostage last Saturday (Sept, 17) around 2 p.m.in Patikul Sulu.
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The military said on Saturday that relentless assaults forced the extremists to release the hostage.
A Norwegian man held hostage by the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Islamist militant group in the southern Philippines since September previous year has been freed.
The military has said that after a medical check-up and deiefing, Sekkingstad would fly to the southern city of Davao to be received by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Mr Sekkingstad, then aged 56, was abducted in September 2015 from the high-end Philippine tourist resort which he managed and was taken to Jolo by the Abu Sayyaf.
Sekkingstad’s release came as a result of intense military operations against Abu Sayyaf, but it is not immediately clear whether a ransom had been paid for his freedom.
Late Friday, the bandits released Norwegian hostage Kjartan Sekkingstad following negotiations that involved the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Marine Col. Edgard A. Arevalo, AFP Public Affairs Office chief, credited the release of the hostages to the intensified military operations being waged by the military against the ASG.
But, “if a third party or the family gives ransom, we don’t know”, said Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar-a disclaimer issued straight-faced despite Mr. Duterte publicly disclosing, however inadvertently, that he did know about ransom being paid early on.
Lorenzana said the shift in the attitude of the bandits started when President Rodrigo Duterte started talking to Misuari.
The Filipino army is now engaged in a major military offensive against Abu Sayyaf fighters, who are locked down in their strongholds.
Their plight was particularly tragic with recently elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau naively touting the virtues of his government, which refused to deal with the Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group with a sworn allegiance to Islamic State.
The fiery leader, who has threatened to eat the militants alive in a bloodthirsty vow of revenge for the attack in Davao that killed 15 people, said the group was no longer just after money from criminal activities.
Norwegian Ambassador to the Philippines Erik Forner on one hand also thanked Duterte for his “outstanding help” to ensure the safe release of Sekkingstad. He said that after the beheadings began, he was told constantly that he would be executed, AP reported, and that he survived several clashes between the Islamists and Philippine troops.
Canadian John Ridsdel was beheaded in April and his compatriot, Robert Hall, was decapitated in June after huge ransom demands were not met.
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The group mainly relies on kidnapping for its finances and many say its ideological and religious claims are meant to hide its focus on the lucrative business. Without any known foreign funding, the extremists have relied on ransom kidnappings, extortion and other acts of banditry, and some commanders have pledged loyalty to the Islamic State partly in the hope of obtaining funds.
