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Four Turks held hostage in Afghanistan by Taliban freed | Four Turks held hostage in Afghanistan by Taliban freed |
(35 minutes later) | |
Four of eight Turks captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan last month have been freed, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. | Four of eight Turks captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan last month have been freed, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. |
A civilian helicopter carrying the Turks, an Afghan and two others was forced to land in bad weather in eastern Afghanistan in April. | A civilian helicopter carrying the Turks, an Afghan and two others was forced to land in bad weather in eastern Afghanistan in April. |
The group was abducted by insurgents in a remote part of Logar province where the Taliban have a strong presence. | The group was abducted by insurgents in a remote part of Logar province where the Taliban have a strong presence. |
Mr Erdogan said the men were freed with the help of Turkish intelligence. | Mr Erdogan said the men were freed with the help of Turkish intelligence. |
The Turkish construction workers were flying to Khost, south-east of the capital Kabul, when their Russian Mi-8 helicopter was forced to land in the restive district of Azra on 21 April. | The Turkish construction workers were flying to Khost, south-east of the capital Kabul, when their Russian Mi-8 helicopter was forced to land in the restive district of Azra on 21 April. |
Azra is close to the Pakistani border and local officials say that while there are some Afghan government forces there, the Taliban and other insurgents control the area. | |
Two pilots, from Russian and Kyrgyzstan, and an Afghan translator were also reported to have been kidnapped in the incident. | |
The Taliban told the BBC last month that the captives were in good health and that no decisions had been made about their fate. | The Taliban told the BBC last month that the captives were in good health and that no decisions had been made about their fate. |
Mr Erdogan told a rally in Istanbul on Sunday: "Eight Turkish engineers were kidnapped recently in Afghanistan when their helicopter crash landed. Thanks to the efforts of MIT [Turkish intelligence], four of them were handed over to us and are safe." | |
Tribal chiefs also helped to secure their release, AFP news agency reports. | |
Turkey has around 1,800 soldiers serving with Nato forces in Afghanistan, but their mission is confined to patrols and Ankara has long had a close relationship with Kabul. | |
Several Turkish engineers have been kidnapped in Afghanistan in recent years, with some held for up to two years. | |
Numerous Western, Pakistani and Afghan hostages are being held in Afghanistan including US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, 25, who has been a prisoner for nearly four years. |
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