Philippine soldiers have found the remains of a German man who was beheaded by Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf militants last week, a military official said late on Saturday,

Both the head and body of Jurgen Kantner were recovered while the troops were conducting combat, search and retrieval operations in Indanan town in the remote southern province of Sulu, colonel Cirilito Sobejana told reporters.

Kantner's remains would be kept in a hospital morgue in Sulu while documents were being prepared to transport the body, said Sobejana, commander of the Joint Task Force Sulu.

The Philippines and Germany have condemned Kantner's killing by the militants who posted a video of the murder after a deadline for a $780,000 (£635,000) ransom passed.