4 French journalists held hostage in Syria freed
Two of the journalists were on their way to Aleppo when they were kidnapped.Four French journalists held captive in Syria for almost a year were free and "in good health" on Saturday, President Francois Hollande told AFP, saying they would be back in France within hours.
President Hollande said Saturday he learned "with great relief this morning of the liberation" of the four reporters.
Hollande said the four (Edouard Elias, Didier Francois, Nicolas Henin and Pierre Torres) were "in good health despite the very challenging conditions of their captivity" and would return to France "in the coming hours."
Reuters news agency is reporting the journalists, who went missing in June, were found by Turkish soldiers on the Syrian border with their hands and eyes bound.
Reporters Without Borders has called Syria "the most dangerous country in the world" for journalists.
A powerful car bomb exploded Friday outside a mosque in a pro-government district of central Syria, killing 14 people in the latest violence to hit the war-shattered city, state-run Syrian television reported.
The state television report says 14 were killed when the blast erupted outside a mosque in a pro-government district the city. Worshippers were leaving the mosque after attending Friday prayers.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has confirmed at least nine deaths in the bombing, but the group warned the death toll could rise since many of the wounded are in critical condition.
The blast comes as government forces continue to advance in their offensive aimed at retaking rebel-held areas of Homs. Citizens there have seen heavy fighting over the last few days.
More than 140,000 people have been killed and another 2.5 million have fled the country since Syria\’s civil war began in March 2011.
The conflict started with mass street protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and turned into an insurgency after a violent crackdown on demonstrators.
Source: Agencies
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