Soldiers have freed an Italian missionary priest who was held captive for nearly six months in the Philippines.
Father Giuseppe "Beppe" Pierantoni was seized last October in Zamboanga del Sur province by the so-called "Pentagon" group that is believed to comprise former Muslim separatist rebels.
He was freed this morning in the coastal town of Tungawan, in adjacent Zamboanga Sibugay province, said Brig Gen Angel Atutubo, who headed a force assigned to free the priest. He said no ransom was paid for Mr Pierantoni's release.
"Doctors have checked on him and he is fine," Brig Gen Atutubo said. There were previous reports that Father Pierantoni had been freed or that he died in December due to illness.
President Ms Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called Father Pierantoni's release "a big step towards peace". "After a fierce battle in the mountains of Mindanao, we have rescued Father Pierantoni," she said. "We are slowly reaping the fruits of our efforts to combat terrorism, poverty, crime, corruption and the respect for the rule of law".
The Muslim rebel group, which has been linked to Osama bin Laden's international terror network,has been blamed for abducting an Italian, a Canadian, wealthy Filipinos and several Chinese engineers over the past year.
The Philippines has suffered kidnappings-for-ransom by Muslim extremist groups and criminal gangs. They have been emboldened by the success of the Abu Sayyaf group in committing mass kidnappings over the past two years.
AP