Turkey: 4 Turks abducted in Iraq freed

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Ankara, Turkey • Turkey says four of its citizens who were abducted by an armed group in Iraq have been freed.

A Foreign Ministry statement said Friday that the Turks were abducted along with several other foreign workers while travelling from the city of Al-Dour to Kirkuk, in northern Iraq.

It said the Turks were freed Thursday through Turkish efforts but did not provide further details.

Some 80 other Turks seized in Mosul by militants of the al-Qaida-inspired group known as the Islamic state of Iraq and the Levant are still held captive. They comprise 49 people seized in the Turkish consulate in Mosul and 31 truck drivers.

The ministry said it was working to try to secure their release.