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Foreign Minister Steinmeier on the release of 49 Turkish hostages held by ISIS terrorist group
Foreign Minister Steinmeier issued the following statement on 20 September following the release of 49 Turkish hostages held by the ISIS terrorist group:
I am extremely relieved about the release of the 49 Turkish hostages. They were held captive by the terrorists for three whole months, in constant fear of their lives and not knowing what would happen to them next.
Today, we share in Turkey’s joy at their release while also expressing our gratitude to the Turkish nation for its willingness to bear the brunt of the influxes of refugees from Iraq and Syria.
In recent days, we have seen that the international community is not abandoning the states in the region to their fate in the fight against ISIS barbarism: at the UN Security Council in New York yesterday, we made it clear that we will act jointly and with determination against the ISIS terrorists.
Background information:
49 Turkish hostages have been freed from the captivity of the Islamic State terrorist group. According to media reports, they arrived in Turkey on Saturday morning. The Turks, including several diplomats, were captured in the battle for the Iraqi city of Mosul on 11 June when the ISIS terrorists stormed the Turkish consulate.
