Ayatollah al-Sistani demands release of kidnapped Turks

Rasa - Ayatollah al-Sistani on Saturday condemned the abduction of 18 Turkish workers from Baghdad last week after the release of a video showed the hostages held by unknown gunmen in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad earlier this month.

News ID: 3344

Date: 13 September 2015 - 18:36

RNA - The source stressed that doing any harm to the innocent Turkish workers would be an immoral act since they have no role in regional developments and problems.

The source also called on the kidnappers to release the abductees and stop such measures that only taint the image of Islam and undermine the central government.

Back on September 2, masked men in military uniforms kidnapped 18 Turkish employees of an Ankara-based construction company in Baghdad, bundling them into several SUVs and speeding away.

The abductees were employed by Nurol Insaat, a Turkish construction company contracted to build a sports complex in the sprawling Shiite district of Sadr City.

The kidnappers stormed the construction site, where the workers were sleeping in caravans, breaking down doors and disarming the guards before taking the workers away.

Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tanju Bilgic said those kidnapped included 14 workers, three engineers and one accountant.

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