Remaining 16 Turkish hostages in Iraq freed

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Twitter that 16 hostages freed in Iraq were “in …”

The men, employed by Turkish construction company Nurol Insaat, were snatched up from a construction site in Baghdad’s Shiite-dominated Sadr City on September 2.

Unless Ankara met their demands, the interests of Turkey and “its agents in Iraq” would be crushed, the kidnappers said in September 11 video.

The demands, directed at the Turkish government, including ending the “flow of gunmen” into Iraq and halting oil exports coming from northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

A soldier was killed earlier this month when security forces clashed with the Tehran-backed Shiite militia Ketaeb Hezbollah while searching for a person allegedly involved in the kidnappings. “Measures are being taken for their soonest return to Turkey”, he wrote.

In total, 18 Turkish workers were kidnapped earlier this month in a Baghdad suburb by an armed group.

Two other hostages were released September 16.

The workers were found in the area of Maseeb, 40 kilometers south of Baghdad, a police official told dpa.

Baghdad has been torn by violence for over a decade now, with roadside bombs, suicide attacks and assassinations occurring nearly daily.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced Wednesday 16 of the Turkish workers will be returning home safely.

Iraq’s most recent turmoil has stemmed from the emergence of the Islamic State group, Sunni extremists who blitzed across the country to seize a third of Iraq’s territory last summer.