A source from the Iraqi ministery of defense said Saturday that Russian diplomats who were taken hostages earlier today have been released and their kidnappers were arrested south of the capital, Baghdad. The source, who asked not to be identified, said in press remarks Iraqi military forces were able to track the vehicles of kidnappers from the Al-Mansour district to their hideouts southwest of the capital. The source added information on the kidnappers' vehicles were provided by residents in the same area of where the abduction took place.The source also added Iraqi security force raided the hideout and rescued hostages and arrest the kidnappers. The source did not mention anything about the condition of the hostages nor details of the operation. Earlier, unidentified gunmen kidnapped four Russians said to be workers at the Russian embassy and killed another in an armed attack carried out in broad daylight in the capital.
