Communist guerrillas freed a kidnapped soldier Sunday because the man's poor health apparently slowed their movement as troops hunted them in the southern Philippines, the military said. New People's Army militiamen turned over army Corporal Daem Hadjaie to local officials in Compostela Valley province after 12 days of captivity in the jungle.
A former Muslim jihadi who had been integrated into the army under a 1996 peace deal, Hadjaie was abducted by the commies on Nov. 16 in Moncayo while en route to a hospital seeking treatment for stomach problems.
"The rebels had to carry him sometimes because he was in pain," a spokesman said, adding the Maoist guerillas were pressured by the military.
| Let's be thankful, it could have ended much worse. |