Nigerian militants: British hostage to be freed after nearly 9 months in captivity

August 21st, 2009 PARIS - A French tourist who had been kidnapped in May in southern Pakistan was freed, authorities here said Friday. "I was delighted to learn of the announcement of the release of our compatriot who had been held hostage in Pakistan," Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a statement.

August 5th, 2009 Expert: Lithuanian hostage crisis could drag onVILNIUS, Lithuania — A Lithuanian maritime expert says that any negotiations with pirates about the release of five Lithuanian sailors abducted in Nigeria could last months. Petras Bekeza, the chairman of Lithuania's sailors' union, says that the pirates who seized the crew members of a Lithuanian ship on Monday while it was docked in a Nigerian port may not have known that the small nation of Lithuania is in a deep economic crisis.

July 31st, 2009 LAGOS - At least 600 people were killed in clashes this week between the security forces and Islamist militants in Nigeria, the police said. The Nigerian Army said the battle against the militants will continue till the rebels are defeated.

July 22nd, 2009 Nigerian militants free 6 oil tanker hostagesABUJA, Nigeria — Nigerian militants have freed six crew members abducted earlier this month from an oil tanker, a Norwegian oil services company said. The Sichem Peace crew was freed Tuesday evening after spending 18 days in captivity in the Niger Delta, EMS Ship Management, which manages the Singapore-flagged oil and chemical tanker, said in a statement.

July 22nd, 2009 Nigerian militants free 6 tanker hostagesABUJA, Nigeria — A Norwegian oil services company says Nigerian militants have freed six of its crew members who were seized earlier this month from a chemical tanker. EMS Ship Management says crew members from the tanker Sichem Peace were released Tuesday night and will go to Lagos for a medical checkup before flying back to their home countries.

July 18th, 2009 Italian freed in Philippines returns homeROME — An Italian aid worker held captive in the Philippine jungle for six months by al-Qaida-linked militants returned home to celebrations in his small Tuscan town on Saturday. Gaunt but smiling, Eugenio Vagni landed in Bologna and continued on to his hometown of Montevarchi, which welcomed him with an open-air party in a piazza.

July 12th, 2009 Swiss say hostage held in Mali has been freedBERN, Switzerland — A Swiss tourist taken hostage in North Africa in January has been released to authorities in Mali, officials said Sunday. The health of the Swiss citizen, who had been held in Mali after his capture with three other European tourists, appears to be reasonably good considering the six-month ordeal, according to information received by Swiss representatives in Mali, a Foreign Ministry official said.

July 11th, 2009 Italy: Hostage freed in Philippines after 6 monthsROME — An ailing Italian Red Cross worker who was kidnapped in January in the Philippines by the Abu Sayyaf rebel group was freed Saturday, officials said. No ransom was paid for the release of 63-year-old Eugenio Vagni, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said in an interview with Italian state TV.

July 5th, 2009 Nigerian militants claim attack on Shell facilityABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria's main militant group says it has attacked a Royal Dutch Shell oil facility in southern Nigeria. In an e-mail statement to journalists, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta also said Sunday it plans phased attacks until its goal is achieved.

June 13th, 2009 Nigerian militant group claims attack on pipelinePORT HARCOURT, Nigeria — Nigerian militants say they have sabotaged a pipeline in the restive southern Niger Delta region. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said in a statement it had blown up a pipeline Friday run by Chevron Corp.'s local subsidiary.

June 7th, 2009 Dutch navy escorting freed Nigerian tugboatTHE HAGUE, Netherlands — Somali pirates have released a Nigerian tugboat they hijacked 10 months ago and a Dutch navy ship is escorting it to a safe harbor, the Dutch Defense Ministry said Sunday. Defense Ministry spokesman Lt.

May 14th, 2009 Nigerian rebels hijack oil ship, hold 15 sailorsLAGOS, Nigeria — Nigerian militants hijacked an oil industry ship and were holding 15 Filipino sailors hostage Thursday as the gunmen demanded that all oil workers leave the southern Niger Delta within days. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said in a statement the region's fighters hijacked the ship late Wednesday, then destroyed five gunboats in attacks on two military bases Thursday morning, a day after clashing with security forces.

April 29th, 2009 Canadian woman kidnapped in Nigeria freedLAGOS, Nigeria — Police in Nigeria say a Canadian woman kidnapped this month in northern Nigeria has been released unharmed. National police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu says the woman was freed Wednesday in the northern city of Kaduna and no ransom was paid.

April 26th, 2009 Al-Qaida in threatens to kill UK hostageCAIRO — Al-Qaida in North Africa says it will kill a British hostage if the British government does not release an imprisoned radical preacher. The group said in a statement posted Sunday on an Islamist Web site that it will execute a British tourist held by the group since late January if the extremist Muslim preacher Abu Qatada is not freed in 20 days.

April 17th, 2009 Swiss Red Cross worker freed in PhilippinesMANILA, Philippines — A Swiss Red Cross worker was freed Saturday after three months of captivity in a Philippine jungle, but al-Qaida-linked militants were still holding an Italian hostage who is ill and needs surgery, officials said. Philippine military and police forces closed in on the stronghold of Abu Sayyaf militants on southern Jolo island, prompting the gunmen to abandon Swiss Andreas Notter, 38, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said.