Journalist hostages freed by Syrian Islamist group

SUNDAY 30 MARCH 2014
Two Spanish journalists kidnapped by an al-Qaeda-linked militant group for more than six months have been reunited with their families.

Two Spanish journalists freed after being kidnapped for more than six months in Syria by an al-Qaeda-linked rebel group have returned home to an emotional reunion with their families.

Freelance journalist Ricardo Garcia Vilanova and El Mundo journalist Javier Espinosa arrived at Torrejon military airbase outside Madrid on Sunday.

Mr Espinosa said: "As you can see we are perfectly fine and I am sorry I can not tell you anything else. Thank you so much."

As you can see we are perfectly fine and I am sorry I can not tell you anything else.Javier Espinosa

Mr Garcia Vilanova told reporters: "As Javier said, thank you so much for all the support we have had. We are sorry we cannot say anything else but it's not in our hands. Thank you very much."

Mr Espinosa, a war correspondent for El Mundo, rang the newspaper late on Saturday from Turkey, where he and Garcia Vilanova were under military protection.

It was not immediately clear whether the journalists had escaped or were released by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, who abducted them at a checkpoint in northeastern Syria near the border with Turkey on 16 September as they were trying to leave the country.

A spokeswoman for Spain's Foreign Ministry said the government uses "maximum discretion" when dealing with kidnapped journalists, and would not comment on whether a ransom was negotiated.

Nearly 30 journalists have been killed there since the conflict began in Syria in March 2011, while dozens more have been kidnapped by both rebels and pro-government forces.

Most of the kidnappings in the past year have taken place in rebel-held territories, particularly in chaotic northern and eastern Syria, where the Islamic State has a presence.

There are at least nine more foreign reporters still missing in Syria, as well as 10 Syrian journalists.