The two walked free after a Norwegian and three Indonesians were released.
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In one intense battle, in which government troops opened fire from assault helicopters and from the ground, he said he felt a thud in his back and thought he was hit by gunfire.
Sekkingstad was carrying the damaged backpack when he walked to freedom Saturday somewhere in the thick jungle off Sulu’s mountainous Patikul town.
Heavily-bearded Mr Sekkingstad, clad in a rebel camouflage uniform and muddy combat boots, was asked how he would describe his horrific experience.
DAVAO CITY- After nearly a year in captivity with terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, President Rodrigo Duterte received Norwegian hostage Kjartan Sekkingstad on Sunday, September 18.
Kjartan Sekkingstad was abducted along with three other people, including two Canadians and one Filipino from Samal Island in Davao del Norte in September 2015.
Abu Sayyaf has made tens of millions of dollars from ransom money since it was formed in the 1990s.
Ridsdel and Hall were beheaded in April and June, respectively. A Philippine woman, Marites Flor, was freed in June.
The Abu Sayyaf freed Sekkingstad on Saturday, handing him over to Misuari who is engaged in peace talks with the government and at whose camp he spent the night, Dureza said earlier.
“We were treated like slaves”, he told reporters, recounting the brutality and violence he and the other captives encountered.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Sunday said the pressure that the government has been putting on the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group led to the recent release of its captives. In turn, said Dureza, Misuari received Sekkingstad from his captors on Saturday.
According to CNN Philippines, Indonesian Defence Minister Riyamizard Ruacudu, who was present to meet the freed Indonesian victims at the Western Mindanao Command late Sunday, expressed gratitude on behalf of his government.
Once the fourth hostage is finally released, the group will still be holding another five Indonesians.
Duterte, in his speech, thanked the MNLF leadership and former Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan for their instrumental role in the release of Sekkingstad. “Now, if a third party or the family gives ransom, we do not know”, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar told local radio station dzRB.
Retired General Kivlan Zen of the Indonesian military will take custody of the three Indonesians.
The group, which is blamed for the worst terror attacks in Philippine history and is listed by the United States as a terrorist organisation, has been the target of a military operation since August.
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Brig. Gen. Arnel de la Vega, commander of the AFP Joint Task Force Sulu, claimed the Abu Sayyaf was forced to release Sekkingstad because his presence “slows them down” and releasing him would allow the kidnap group to evade soldiers.
