88-year-old Australian doctor free 7 years after kidnapping in West Africa
Australia says an 88-year-old doctor held captive in West Africa for more than seven years has been released CANBERRA, Australia -- An 88-year- old Australian doctor held captive in West Africa for more than seven years has been released, the Australian government said Friday. Kenneth Elliott, from the west coast city of Perth, was safe and well and had been reunited with his wife Jocelyn and their children, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement. Elliott and his wife were kidnapped by Islamic extremists in northern Burkina Faso in January 2016 near the border with Mali and Niger, where they were running a medical clinic. Jocelyn Elliott was released a month later. Wong said the Australian government and the Elliott family have worked tirelessly toward Elliott’s release. She did not detail the circumstances of his release. “We wish to express our thanks to God and all who have continued to pray for us,” Elliott’s family said in a statement released by the minister’s departme...