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ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 4 August) – Suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits released Monday one of two women they seized last Sunday in the town of Patikul, Sulu, a military official said.
Captain Ma. Rowena Muyuela, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) information officer, identified the freed victim as Nursalyn Alih, a resident of Barangay Danag in Patikul.
Muyuela said Alih was released around 1 a.m. Monday at Sitio Kantitap also in Barangay Danag.
She said Alih was seized together with Shekinah Hope Hamsain by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits around 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Barangay Kaunayan, Patikul.
Muyuela said they were aboard a motorcycle heading to Barangay Taglibi of the same town when waylaid and forcibly taken by three suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group.
She said two of the three suspects were later identified as Ramsid Sali and a certain Injie.
After her release, Alih, 26, was escorted by her family and Marine troops to Camp Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital for medical attention and later brought to her sisters’ residence in Muralla St., Jolo, Sulu.
Muyuela said both the military and police authorities in Sulu have yet to confirm whether the family of Alih paid ransom in exchange for the release.
She added that military troops continue to track down the whereabouts of Hamsain, who remain in captivity.