This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen
on .
It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
A Swiss wildlife photographer escaped from Islamist rebels in the Philippines on Saturday, killing one of them with a machete as he made a break for freedom during a clash between the insurgents and government troops, a Philippine officer said.
This could be because it launched early, our rights have expired, there was a legal issue, or for another reason.
Rebels of the Abu Sayyaf group had kidnapped Lorenzo Vinciguerra, 49, in the southern Philippines more than two years ago.
Vinciguerra made a grab for his guard’s machete during a clash between troops and the rebels, Colonel Allan Arrojado, commander of the army’s Joint Task Group on the island of Sulu, told reporters.
For further information, please contact:
The Swiss man was wounded on his left cheek as he wrestled for the machete, finally getting hold of it and slashing the guard on the neck, Arrojado said.
“He dashed while other bandits were shooting at him,” Arrojado said.
Vinciguerra was being held with Dutch national Ewold Horn, 52, and shouted at him to run but the Dutch man had been “very sick and very weak” and unable to escape, Arrojado said, adding there was no word on Horn’s whereabouts.
Arrojado said Vinciguerra was in good condition but not available for comment.
The military said five militants were killed and seven wounded in the firefight.
The two European wildlife photographers were taken captive in Tawi-Tawi province as they were sailing on a bird-watching trip in February 2012.
Abu Sayyaf is holding several other foreign and Filipino hostages.
The military launched an offensive against the group in October after the rebels released two German nationals they seized in April.
Abu Sayyaf are the most notorious of several rebels factions in the Muslim south of the largely Christian Philippines.
