US hostage Tommy Hamill escapes

US hostage Thomas Hamill was recovered by US forces south of Tikrit in Iraq today after he apparently escaped from captors who had been holding him since an attack on a convoy on April 9, the US military said.

Hamill, of Macon, Mississippi, was “in good health,” said Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt.

Kimmitt said US military units were patrolling a petroleum pipeline when Hamill, a truck driver for Halliburton Corp, approached and identified himself.

“Mr Hamill apparently escaped from a building,” Kimmitt said. “He has spoken to his family. He is now ready to get back to work.”