Militants in the southern Philippines released early Thursday their Irish ailing missionary in the restive south ahead of the visit of US Secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

Kidnappers holding Michael Sinnot of Columban Mission turned over him to members of the Task Force formed by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

"Sinnot has just been freed. We turned him over to the government officials around 4:30 a.m at Sangali village in southern Zamboanga City," MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal told Xinhua.

"They were pressured. We talked to the captors' families. Not a single centavo was paid to them. We even spent a lot of money in our rescue efforts," Iqbal said.

Six gunmen abducted Sinnott of Columban mission on Oct. 11 from his house in the southern city of Pagadian in Zamboanga del Sur.

Asked about the real group behind the kidnapping, Iqbal said: "I cannot give you exact details because its part of the deal we make with them."

However, he disclosed later in the interview that the priest captors were plain syndicate group operating in the region.

"The Embassy of Ireland through Ambassador Dr. Richard O-brien personally thanked us for our efforts. Sinnott looks okay according to our men," Iqbal said.

Sinnott was the second Western missionary being kidnapped in southern Philippines in the past five years. Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi spent a month in jungle captivity before being released by Abu Sayyaf militants in 2007.