Troops rescue Vietnamese hostage

This undated handout released by the Western Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM) on August 21, 2017 shows Vietnamese sailor Do Trung Hieu smiling at a military hospital in Zamboanga City on the southern island of Mindanao, after his rescue by Philippine troops.A Vietnamese sailor kidnapped by Islamist militants off the southern Philippines has been rescued after nine months in captivity, the military said on August 21, following the beheading of two fellow crewmen in July. / AFP PHOTO / Western Mindanao Command / HO / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT AFP PHOTO / WESTERN MINDANAO COMMAND (WESMINCOM) - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

MANILA: A Vietnamese sailor kidnapped by militants off the southern Philippines has been rescued after nine months in captivity, the military said, following the beheading of two fellow crewmen in July.

Philippine troops rescued the hostage on Sunday on Basilan island in the southern Mindanao region, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group, following intensified operations against the militants, authorities said.