3 Pinoys held hostage in Libya freed

MANILA, Philippines — Three Filipinos and a South Korean held captive by armed groups in Libya last year have been released, according to the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

In a statement yesterday, the ministry said the UAE is working on sending the former hostages to their home countries.

“As a result of a solid cooperation and coordination between the UAE and the Libyan National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Hafter, search efforts resulted in finding them safely,” it said.

The civilians were airlifted to Abu Dhabi before being flown to their home countries.

“The release of the former detainees means reuniting them with their families after a long period of suffering,” the ministry said.

The former hostages, who work as civil engineers, were held captive while working at a desalination plant in west Libya, the foreign affairs ministry said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to release a statement on the matter.