ANKARA, June 20 — A group of 44 foreign nationals including four Turkish citizens kidnapped Tuesday by tribal groups in northern Iraq have been released, a Turkish diplomat said Thursday.
Deputy security chief of Kirkuk provided help for the release of the foreign workers, the diplomat told Xinhua news agency.
“They are travelling to a secure place today,” he said.
On Tuesday, militants of Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) raided a construction site near Kirkuk and abducted 60 foreign workers including 15 Turkish and other nationals from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Turkmenistan.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday urged its citizens in Iraq to leave the country after militants abducted some 80 Turkish citizens in northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
Last Wednesday, ISIL militants took control of Turkey’s consulate general in Mosul and abducted 49 staff and family members including the consul-general.
Another 31 Turkish nationals were taken hostage by the group at a power plant in the Gyarah region of Mosul.
Rescue efforts are still under way.
–BERNAMA
