Five Sudanese embassy staff freed in Baghdad
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-01 09:49

Al Qaeda militants in Iraq released five Sudanese embassy staff on Saturday, Sudan's foreign ministry said, after Khartoum announced it was shutting its Baghdad mission following the kidnappings.

Al Qaeda had threatened to kill the hostages, who included a diplomat at the embassy, unless Sudan agreed to cut all ties with Iraq within 48 hours.

Sudan's state minister for foreign affairs, Al-Samani Wasila, said: "Yes, they released them. They are in the (Baghdad) embassy now. They are all fine."

He gave no further details.

Sudan said on Friday it would shut its embassy in Baghdad. Al Qaeda militants in Iraq have targeted the embassies of Muslim countries in an effort to stop them from recognising Iraq's U.S.-backed government.

Earlier this year, al Qaeda's network killed the Egyptian mission chief in Baghdad, two Algerian envoys, and two Moroccan embassy staff. The group has sworn to kill other Arab diplomats if their countries recognise Iraq's government.

Al Qaeda insurgents have also killed several Western and Asian hostages, and hundreds of kidnapped Iraqis accused of cooperating with U.S.-led troops.

The group has only rarely released hostages, but the freeing of the Sudanese was not the first time it has responded to concessions from a foreign government. In 2004, the group freed Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz after Manila withdrew a small contingent of troops ahead of schedule.

Al Qaeda had threatened to kill the hostage unless Manila pulled out its troops.