Swiss Hostage Escapes Rebels During Philippine Army Raid  - NYTimes.comSwiss Hostage Escapes Rebels During Philippine Army Raid  - NYTimes.comMain MenuMain MenuType Size:AAANight Mode:DisableEnableAccount:SubscribeLog inThe New York TimesInternational New York TimesSearchGoShareTweetMoreSubscribeSubscribeMy accountLog inWorldSwiss Hostage Escapes Rebels During Philippine Army Raid ShareBy FLOYD WHALEYDecember 6, 2014MANILA —  As the Philippine military attacked a rebel camp in the south on Saturday, a Swiss bird-watcher being held by the rebels used the distraction to assault one of his captors and escape, a military spokesman said.The Swiss national, Lorenzo Vinciguerra, had been held for more than two years by the Abu Sayyaf rebel group, which the United States had labeled a terrorist organization.The Philippine military, which has launched an offensive against the rebels to rescue captives, was conducting a ground assault and using artillery to bomb the camp when Mr. Vinciguerra seized his captor’s weapon, according to the military.“He wrestled with his captor to get possession of a bladed weapon,” said Restituto Padilla, a military spokesman. A rebel commander, Juhurim Hussein, was believed to have been killed as the two wrestled for the weapon, Mr. Padilla said.Mr. Padilla said Mr. Vinciguerra received a wound to his face. Mr. Vinciguerra, 49, was abducted in February 2012 when he and a Dutch man, Ewold Horn, were on an expedition to photograph the Sulu hornbill, a rare and endangered bird that lives in the war-torn Sulu Archipelago. It is unclear what happened to Mr. Horn.For more than a decade, Abu Sayyaf rebels have been conducting bombings, kidnappings and other attacks in the Philippines. The group has said it seeks to establish a strict Islamic state in the southern Philippines, but military officials say it is now primarily engaged in kidnapping for ransom as a moneymaking enterprise.The group holds an estimated 14 foreign and Filipino hostages, including Mr. Horn. In October, the group released two Germans they had held for six months and later posted a video online showing what they claimed was 250 million pesos — about $5.6 million — in ransom money that they had received.In October, President Benigno S. Aquino III ordered an offensive against Abu Sayyaf with the goal of rescuing the remaining hostages. The move was a change in strategy from previous government efforts to avoid confrontations that might endanger the hostages.“They operate from small, hard-to-detect camps that sometimes just look like ordinary huts,” Mr. Padilla said. “But they are constructed with bomb shelters and fox holes and they are scattered all over the island.”Abu Sayyaf shares ransom money with civilians on the island in order to gain their loyalty, he added.As part of the ongoing offensive, the military said five Abu Sayyaf fighters were killed in a separate incident on Saturday near the village of Talipao, on the same island where Mr. Vinciguerra was held.In March, the government signed a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the largest Muslim insurgency group in the country. The deal did not include the smaller Abu Sayyaf group, which is opposed to negotiations with the government.Government officials hope that increased economic activity in the southern Philippines as a result of the peace deal will starve extremist groups of new recruits. Though Abu Sayyaf is believed to have only a few hundred full-time fighters, it uses impoverished farmers and villagers as part-time, paid recruits for some of its operations, military officials say.ShareSaveShow Full Article                            xSharexEmailTwitterRedditGooglePermalinkhttp://nyti.ms/1z9bfIlToolsSaveMore In WorldArgentine President Now Says Prosecutor’s Death Was Not a SuicidePresident Cristina Fernández de Kirchner said she believed that the lead investigator of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center did not commit suicide.U.S. and Cuba Set to Discuss Diplomatic TiesThe nations on Wednesday discussed migration, and a meeting on Thursday will cover matters like reopening embassies.Citing Falling Oil Prices, Iraq Seeks Arms on Credit to Fight ISIS4:36 PM ETPrime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the precipitous drop in prices posed a fresh challenge to his military’s efforts to push back Islamic State militants.Back to topMain MenuHomeHomeWorldU.S.U.S. NewsPoliticsU.S. PoliticsThe UpshotNew YorkBusinessBusinessBusiness DayTechnologySportsSportsOpinionOpinionScienceHealthArtsArtsStyleStylePhotosVideoMost EmailedTimes PremierMore SectionsAutomobilesBlogsBooksFoodFoodFoodEducationHome & GardenMagazineMoviesMusicMedia & AdvertisingObituariesPublic EditorGreat Homes and DestinationsReal EstateSunday ReviewT MagazineTelevisionTheaterTimes WireTravelWeddingsCorrectionsRecommendationsSavedSettingsEdition:Type Size:AAANight Mode:DisableEnableAccount:SubscribeLog inDownload Our AppsNYTimesNYT NowDownload the NYTimes appHelpSubscribeFeedbackTerms of ServicePrivacy© 2015 The New York Times Company