Deputy PM expresses hope for release of Turkish hostages in Ramadan

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has said he hopes the Turkish hostages in Iraq will be released in the “near future; [hopefully] during Ramadan.”

Comprehensive efforts are underway for the release of 80 Turkish nationals in Mosul who were abducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Arınç told reporters at a press conference late June 30.

“There are no positive developments yet for our citizens [who were] abducted. They are in good health, their requirements have been met. But I can still say the time to embrace them has yet to arrive,” Arınç said.

Some 49 Turkish citizens, including three consul generals in Mosul and several members of the Turkish Special Forces, were taken hostage by ISIL and transferred to an undisclosed location June 11.

Additionally, 31 Turkish truck drivers were also kidnapped and taken hostage by an unknown group after militants seized the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on June 11.