SW News:

An Australian doctor who was held captive in West Africa for more than seven years has been released. The 88-year-old surgeon has been freed by terrorist group Al Qaeda-linked jihadists in Mali. Dr. Kenneth Elliott and his wife were captured by the jihadists in Burkina Faso in Africa in January 2016. His wife was released three weeks later. 

However, the doctor was held in captivity for seven years. Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong said the doctor arrived back in his home country on Thursday night. Dr. Elliott has been reunited with his wife Jocelyn and their kids, and he is safe and well, according to Wong. "I am so happy that his release has been obtained and he is back with his family in safety," Wong added. Dr. Elliott's family expressed their relief after his release. In a statement, the family expressed their gratitude to God and all who have continued to pray for them. 

Dr. Elliott and his wife, who are both from Perth in Western Australia, had operated their medical clinic in Djibo town, in northern Burkina Faso, close to the Mali border. Since 1972, the pair has managed the facility. Additionally, they had performed charitable work in Mali and Niger. On January 15, 2016, they were kidnapped not far from the Niger border. Malian militant group Ansar Dine said the couple was taken by jihadists. 

Experts suspect that it is a branch of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Dr. Elliott's wife was freed after mediation from Niger. Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham hailed the news, saying officials needed to be credited with achieving a breakthrough. 

He said maintaining lines of communication with terrorists and the addition of the pandemic would have complicated matters over the years. "Thankfully, he is now safe. That's a credit to work over many, many years of individuals who sought to establish the type of lines of dialogue and communications to be able to secure this outcome," he said.