A Norwegian held hostage by a notorious kidnapping-for-ransom gang in the strife-torn southern Philippines was released Saturday after a year in captivity and will soon be handed over to authorities, officials said. The MNLF is currently in peace talks with the government and have been working with authorities to secure Sekkingstad’s release. “According to Philippine authorities, Sekkingstad is now in a relatively safe place,” Norway’s foreign minister, Borge Brende, said in a statement. Philippines: Isis-linked extremists​ free eight militants​ in attack on jail Read moreThe Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of a militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network. Duterte last month ordered a military offensive to “destroy” the Abu Sayyaf, deploying thousands of troops as part of a major assault which has met fierce resistance.

Source: The Guardian September 17, 2016 23:26 UTC