Baku welcomes release of Turkish diplomats
By Sara Rajabova
Baku has welcomed the release of 49 Turkish citizens, previously captured in Iraq, from captivity.
The hostages returned home on September 20.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on September 23 that it welcomes the release from captivity the staff of consulate general of Turkey in the Iraqi city of Mosul and members of their families.
The ministry congratulated in this regard the staff of consulate general, members of their families, and also the fraternal Turkish people and expressed the best wishes.
Some 49 employees of Turkey's diplomatic mission in Iraq's Mosul city were captured by the militants of the terrorist organization calling itself the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIL or ISIS) in June 2014.
The diplomats were released as a result of a special operation of the Turkish intelligence services. As a result of the operation, one Turkish intelligence member died. Further details of the operation were not disclosed. However, it was reported that Turkey did not pay a ransom to release the hostages and did not fulfill other requirements of the terrorists.