'I fear a lot for myself': Hostages in Philippines plead for their lives

Two German hostages held by the Philippine Islamic group Abu Sayyaf appealed for their lives Monday, urging authorities in Berlin to pay a ransom and withdraw support from the international military operation against Islamic State (IS) militia in Iraq. The two tourists were yatching off the southern coast of the Philippines in April when they were captured by members of Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic Philippine outfit linked to the Al Qaeda. The terror group, comprising some 400 rebels, has said it also has been holding a Dutch and Swiss hostage since February, 2012, in addition to a Malaysian coast guard and a Chinese woman and her daughter. Last Friday, Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that the government would not negotiate with terrorists.

I’m suffering a lot because I was taken hostage… and now I have to lay on the ground, to sleep on the ground… and my medical condition worsened, and I fear a lot for myself.

The older of the two hostages, a 74-year-old man, in an interview

Asia-Pacific abu sayyaf