Ankara - Three German climbers who were held hostage for 12 days after being abducted by Kurdish rebels in eastern Turkey arrived in the capital Ankara Monday ahead of a flight home to Germany, the Anadolu news agency reported.
Lars Holger Renne, 33, Martin Georg S., 47, and Helmut Johann H., 65, all from Bavaria, were abducted on July 8 by five Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) guerrillas who raided a 3,200-metre camp on Mount Ararat.
The three were released on Sunday and after spending the night at a police guest house in Agri, the mountaineers flew to Ankara from the eastern city of Erzurum on Monday morning.
Berlin - Germany thanked Turkey on Monday for its help, a day after three German mountaineers were freed at the end of nearly two weeks in the hands of Kurdish rebels.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Jens Ploetner said Turkish officials had played a major role in resolving the crisis, with the interaction between the two nations' officials "characterized by high trust."
The three men were expected in Germany late Monday afternoon after spending the night in a Turkish government guest-house at Agri. Militants in the Kurdish rebel group PKK kidnapped them July 8. They were freed on Sunday.
Ankara - Eleven Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) rebels were killed by Turkish forces in an operation in the south-eastern province of Hakkari on Tuesday night, the Turkish General Staff reported on We
Ankara - Ten Kurdish separatists were reportedly killed in clashes with Turkish security forces in south-east Turkey early on Friday morning, the Dogan news agency reported.
Ankara - Three German climbers who were held hostage for 12 days after being abducted by Kurdish rebels in eastern Turkey arrived in the capital Ankara Monday ahead of a flight home to Germany, the Anadolu news agency reported.
Berlin - Germany thanked Turkey on Monday for its help, a day after three German mountaineers were freed at the end of nearly two weeks in the hands of Kurdish rebels.
