Spokesman Welcomes Freedom of Abducted Iranians in Syria

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast on Saturday welcomed the freedom of several Iranian nationals abducted in the city of Homs earlier this year.

Mehman-Parast welcomed the release of the Iranian nationals and further thanked the efforts made by the Turkish officials as well as the country’s foreign ministry in this regard.

He expressed the hope that the other Iranian nationals who have been abducted in Syria would be released soon.

Informed sources announced earlier this week that 12 Iranian citizens, including seven pilgrims and five engineers, who were abducted by armed rebels in Syria were released.

But, later reports said that only five pilgrims have been freed and Iranian experts are still kept hostage.

The sources also said that the freed Iranian nationals have been handed over to Turkish officials.

Five Iranian engineers working for Syria’s power plant in Homs city had been kidnapped while they were heading to their workplace on December 20, 2011.

In addition to the five engineers, armed gangs and terrorists have kidnapped tens of Iranian pilgrims in Syria thus far.

The U.S-backed and financed armed gangs in Syria practice extortion, passport theft and stealing the personal belongings of Iranian pilgrims, the Iranian embassy in Damascus said, underlining that all the abducted Iranian nationals are civilians.