APA-Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) After more than seven years in captivity, Dr. Kenneth Elliott, 88, has been released, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Friday.
The Australian surgeon arrived in his country on Thursday, the government announced.
“Dr. Elliott is safe and well and has been reunited with his wife Jocelyn and their children,” Ms. Wong said.
“I am very pleased that his release has been secured and that he is safe again with his family,” she added.
The Australian surgeon, who has lived in the northern town of Djibo since 1972, was abducted in January 2016 with his wife Jocelyn, who was released a month later.
The couple’s abduction had been claimed by the jihadist group Ansar Dine, linked to al-Qaeda.
In July 2017, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AGIM) had released a video showing six hostages, including Kenneth Elliott.
But since then, there has been no news of the Australian.
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