Iran helped in release of 48 Syrian captives

Iran helped in release of 48 Syrian captives

The Iranian ambassador to Damascus says Iran’s diplomatic efforts led to the freedom of 48 Syrian citizens taken hostage last week by militants in Idlib province.

The 48 people, set free on Thursday morning, were part of a group of women and children from the Shia-populated villages of Fua and Kafraya in Idlib. They were abducted by militants while on a bus trip to Damascus on February 15.

Iranian Ambassador to Syria Mohammad Reza Sheibani said efforts by the Islamic Republic’s Foreign Ministry personnel got underway following the reports of the abduction, relaying pressures on the abductors through its contacts with regional parties, which ultimately led to the freedom of these innocent women and children.

One of the released women, Um-Hossein, expressed her thanks to the Iranian people and officials in an interview with an IRIB reporter for standing besides the Syrian nation and government during these turbulent times.

In mid-February, armed gangs in northwestern Syria reportedly abducted more than 300 people over two days in an unprecedented string of sectarian kidnappings. Reports say the abductions involved large numbers of women and children.

Syria has been experiencing foreign-fueled unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security forces, have been killed in the turmoil.

On Thursday, over 50 people were killed and 250 others injured in a car bomb attack carried out in a residential area in the capital, Damascus.

The Syrian government insists that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country amid reports that a significant number of the anti-Damascus militants are foreign nationals.

Moreover, several international human rights organizations have charged that the armed militants fighting the Syrian government forces have committed war crimes.