Operations chief Amil Baanan of the Sulu provincial police says eight Abu Sayyaf gunmen seized 56-year-old Nelson Lim at gunpoint Friday outside his residence and dragged him into a van in the provincial capital, Jolo.

Regional military spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang said Saturday that the vehicle was recovered in nearby Patikul township by troops pursuing the gunmen.

US special forces are training Filipino soldiers battling the Abu Sayyaf, which is notorious for ransom kidnappings, beheadings and bombings. The group is on the US list of terrorist organizations.