KOTA KINABALU: A Malaysian and two Indonesians held by Abu Sayyaf gunmen are safe after the militants trying to escape from Jolo island were caught in a gunfight with the Philippine military earlier this week.
It is learnt that the militant group with the three hostages, who were snatched from eastern Sabah waters on Dec 5 last year, were trying to flee Jolo when the military closed in on the group on Simisa island, off Jolo, on Wednesday.
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