MANILA – Two Germans held captive by Islamist militants in the southern Philippines on Monday for authorities to secure their immediate release.
The hostages, who were seized in April while sailing off the province of Palawan, spoke on local radio station south of Manila.
“We appeal to the Philippine and German governments, to do all they can because we are living in a difficult situation.
“The situation here is very, very stressful; we are not sure how long we can cope.
“The jungle is very dangerous,’’ the 55-year-old female hostage said. [eap_ad_2] The 74-year-old German man said that his medical condition had worsened because they have been sleeping on wet ground since their adoption . I fear for myself,’’ he said.
Abu Ramin, a spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf group holding the hostages, called the radio station to reiterate threats to the hostages if ransom of more than 5 million dollars is not paid by Oct. 10.
The captors also demanded that Germany to withdraw its support for the U.S. airstrikes against jihadists in Syria and Iraq.
“If these demands are not met, we will decide on the fate of the two hostages,’’ he said.
Philippine officials said that the Abu Sayyaf, which has kidnapped foreigners for ransom in the past, appeared to be taking advantage of the international attention given to the Islamic State group. (dpa/NAN) [eap_ad_3]
