Wife of volunteer doctor released by militants

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull Sunday said the wife of an elderly Australian doctor kidnapped by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists in Burkina Faso has been released.

For over 40 years, they ran a 120-bed clinic in the northern town of Djibo, where Dr Elliott was the only surgeon and was supported by local staff.

On Friday, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said they had kidnapped the couple and would release Mrs Elliott due to public pressure and guidance from its leaders “not to involve women in war”.

Earlier, the militant group that claimed responsibility for the kidnapping said it the release would be unconditional.

Speaking in Dosso, in southwestern Niger, Issoufou said authorities were intensifying their efforts to release her husband, Dr. Ken Elliott, who is still being held.

The kidnappings took place shortly after armed militants attacked Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, killing more than 29 people and leaving more than 50 wounded after a series of bomb explosions outside the Splendid Hotel.

Dr Elliott performed 150 surgical operations a month in the Djibo hospital he designed and built, according to a 2013 Global Business Services newsletter.

“We regard that as an answer to people’s prayers all over the world”, he told PerthNow.

“To those who are holding our parents, we bear no malice against you”, the family said. “Please continue to do exactly that”.

He thanked the governments of Burkina Faso and Niger for their efforts and cooperation, but declined to comment on the prospects for Dr Elliott’s release, saying it was “a hard diplomatic situation”.