New York (UN) - The world's top body welcomed the release and return of 26 Qatari nationals to their country after two-years of abduction in the Al-Muthanna governorate of south Iraq. "We understand that the Qatari nationals were released unharmed. We are grateful to the Iraqi authorities and to all who contributed to the safe release of the abductees," UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement late on Friday. Last night, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced the release of Qatari and Saudi game hunters who were kidnapped by an armed group in a desert area in the Al-Muthanna governorate, south Iraq, in 2015. Twenty-six Qatari hostages, including members of the ruling family, were freed on Friday after being held by gunmen in Iraq for over a year, officials say. The men were abducted there in December 2015 while on a hunting trip near the border with Saudi Arabia. Their release comes days after a deal was announced in neighboring Syria for the evacuation of civilians and fighters from four besieged towns, which British newspaper the Guardian reported Qatar had helped mediate in exchange for the freeing of the hunters.
