CORRECTED-Hostages appeal in video for halt to Philippine military operations

(Correcting name of island in second paragraph to Samal, not
Samar)
MANILA, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Two Canadians, a Norwegian, and a
Filipino woman have appealed by video to the Philippines to stop
military operations and to Canada to negotiate for their freedom
with Islamist militants who abducted them.
The four were snatched at gunpoint by 11 gunmen, believed to
be al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants, at an upmarket resort on
Samal island in the Philippines on Sept. 21 and taken to an
unknown location in the south.
"Please, stop all these operations so that negotiations can
start," said a man, who introduced himself as John Ridsdel on
the clip circulating on YouTube, while a machete was brandished
behind his head by a militant, who was also holding him.
The man said there had been artillery fire nearby, flights
overhead and bombings and asked that they be stopped.
The military operations could not be independently verified.
Authorities on Tuesday declined to comment on the video, saying
they will have to validate the authenticity of the material.
Another captive, who introduced himself as Robert Hall, also
appealed to stop the bombings, saying his life was in grave
danger. A third man who introduced himself Kjartan Sekkingstad
was also asked to plead for their lives.
The woman seated beside Hall did not speak. The four were
identified by the Philippines army in September as having been
taken hostage. This was the first video since they were taken.
All of them were shown to be sitting in a jungle while the
militants with covered faces held rifles and machetes, and
shouted "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) at the end of the 2
minute 22 seconds video uploaded onto YouTube.
The militants' leader spoke fluent English, demanding the
artillery attacks be halted and the negotiation of the release
of the hostages.
It was unusual for Islamist militant leaders in the south to
speak good English. The video had been uploaded on some Middle
Eastern websites.
The leader did not identify what group they belonged to or
their location.
There has been speculation they had been taken hundreds of
miles west to Jolo island, a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf, a small
but violent Islamist militant group, known for bomb attacks,
kidnappings and beheadings in the southern Philippines.
But army and police officials have previously denied the
report, and the authorities could not say on Tuesday whether the
hostages were taken to the island.
Kidnappings are not uncommon in the Philippines.
Last week, an Italian missionary who was operating a pizza
shop was also abducted. A local official kidnapped six months
ago was released on Monday night.