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LIBYA-CONFLICT-KIDNAPPING-TURKEY
Three Turks kidnapped in Libya freed
TRIPOLI, June 24, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Three Turks kidnapped in Libya in
November have been freed, the North African country’s unity government said
on Sunday, without mentioning the fate of a South African man abducted with
them.
The four men were working on the construction of a power plant in Ubari,
1,000 kilometres (600 miles) south of the capital Tripoli, when they were
abducted by armed men.
“Thanks to the efforts of the security services, the three Turkish
technicians employed by the Turkish firm Enka… were freed” on Saturday
night, a statement from the Government of National Accord (GNA) said.
The statement did not give further details on the circumstances
surrounding their release or identify the abductors, and it did not mention
the fate of the South African national.
Jihadist groups and militias have often targeted foreign workers and
diplomatic missions in Libya, after the country descended into lawlessness
following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
The revolt also damaged infrastructure across oil-rich Libya, which has
since suffered from power shortages.
Following the abductions of the Turkish technicians, Enka pulled its staff
from Libya, prompting work at the Ubari power plant to be suspended.
BSS/AFP/RY/1533 hrs