ANKARA鈥擣orty-nine Turks held hostage for months by Islamic State jihadists in northern Iraq were freed and returned to Turkey on Saturday, to emotional family reunions and a triumphant Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
Turkish diplomats and their children were seized along with special forces officers in their country鈥檚 consulate in the Iraqi city of Mosul on June 11 as IS militants overran whole swathes of northern Iraq.
Davutoglu announced their liberation early Saturday and cut short a visit to Azerbaijan to greet the ex-hostages. He gave no details of the circumstances of their release, though other officials and media reports spoke of a 鈥渟ecret operation鈥�.
鈥淓arly in the morning our citizens were handed over to us and we brought them back into our country,鈥� Davutoglu told reporters before leaving the Azerbaijani capital Baku.
Turkey鈥檚 intelligence agency, armed forces and police had worked to secure their freedom, Davutoglu said after meeting the ex-hostages in the Turkish city of Sanliurfa and flying on with them to the Turkish capital Ankara.
鈥淭here are unnamed heroes, like those who brought our citizens back to Turkey. They acted for the sake of our country, for the sake of our people. I salute them,鈥� the prime minister told a cheering crowd of supporters waving Turkish flags as he stood atop a bus at Ankara鈥檚 airport.
He kissed one of the freed hostages, consul-general Ozturk Yilmaz, on the forehead, after saying the hostages had 鈥渟tood strong鈥� and unbowed during their captivity.
Yilmaz said: 鈥淚 am proud of what I have gone through for my country.鈥� He added that he 鈥渘ever lost hope鈥� and was 鈥渧ery happy鈥� to be back in Turkey.
鈥楽ecret operation鈥�
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Turkish authorities had carried out a 鈥減re-planned, detailed and secret operation鈥�.
rkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, center right, stands with freed hostages at the airport in Ankara, Turkey, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014. Dozens of Turkish hostages seized by Islamic militants in Iraq three months ago were freed and safely returned to Turkey on Saturday ending Turkey鈥檚 most serious hostage crisis. The 49 hostages were captured from the Turkish Consulate in Mosul, Iraq on June 11, when the Islamic State group overran the city in its surge to seize large swaths of Iraq and Syria. AP
鈥淚t continued all through the night and was successfully completed in the early morning. From the very first day, our intelligence agency has followed the issue with patience and determination and finally carried out a successful rescue operation.鈥�
Although officials gave no details of the operation, private NTV television said Ankara had not paid any ransom and instead had negotiated with local authorities in Iraq.
No other countries were involved in the operation and there were no clashes with the IS militants, NTV said, citing anonymous security sources.
The hostages were taken to eight different locations during their captivity and the spy agency tracked their whereabouts by drones and other equipment.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told private Haberturk television that the hostages had been brought across the Syrian border.
鈥淲e have started the day with great news. I hope we will never experience something like this again.鈥�
On his Twitter account, he thanked 鈥渁ll those who contributed to the release of the hostages鈥�, especially the spy chief Hakan Fidan.
The Islamic State had also kidnapped 31 Turkish truck drivers in early June in Mosul and had released them a month later.
IS militants have seized a swathe of territory in Iraq and Syria, declaring an Islamic 鈥渃aliphate鈥�, committing widespread atrocities and instituting a brutal interpretation of Islamic law. They have recently beheaded three Western hostages, causing an international outcry.
Turkey, a NATO member and Washington鈥檚 key ally in the region, has been reluctant to take part in combat operations against Islamic State militants, or allow a US-led coalition to use its airbases for strikes against the jihadists, citing its concern over for the safety of its hostages.
Ankara has rejected criticism that it indirectly encouraging the formation of Islamic State through its support of Islamist elements within the Syrian rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad.
Under international pressure, Turkey in June put the Al-Nusra Front 鈥� Al-Qaeda鈥檚 franchise in Syria 鈥� and the Islamic State extremists on its list of terrorist organizations.