Turkey secures release of hostages held by Islamic State

[unhappycamper]

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/09/20/iraq-crisis-turkey-hostages-idINKBN0HF03120140920



Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu addresses members of the parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara September 1, 2014.

Turkey secures release of hostages held by Islamic State
By Orhan Coskun and Jonny Hogg
ANKARA Sat Sep 20, 2014 3:35pm IST

(Reuters) - Turkish intelligence agents brought 46 hostages seized by Islamic State militants in northern Iraq back to Turkey on Saturday after more than three months in captivity, in what President Tayyip Erdogan described as a covert rescue operation.

Security sources told Reuters the hostages had been released overnight in the town of Tel Abyad on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey after being transferred from the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa, Islamic State's stronghold.

Officials declined to give details of the rescue operation.

The hostages, who included Turkey's consul-general, diplomats' children and special forces soldiers, were seized from the Turkish consulate in Mosul on June 11 during a lightning advance by the Sunni insurgents.

[Sherman A1]

1. Excellent!

I am happy they were able to recover their diplomatic personnel.