Turkish diplomat says US air strikes against ISIL/ISIS almost killed hostages

Turkey's consul general in Mosul, who spent some 101 days in captivity at the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants, has said that a recent U.S. bombing in northern Iraq killed two jihadists who were guarding the building where Turkish hostages stayed.

"The area that we were kept and the road that our vehicle used were bombed. Some air strikes hit very close. There were people among us who were injured when windows shattered. Still, without the U.S. bombing, perhaps we wouldn't be able to survive," Consul General Öztürk Yılmaz said Sept. 20 during a live interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV.


Some 46 Turkish citizens and three Iraqi staff were kidnapped on June 11 by the ISIL after the militants seized control of all of Mosul, Iraq’s third largest city. Turkey's hostages were freed earlier in the day following the Turkish intelligence agency’s intense work and a secret operation.

Another hostage from the consulate told NTV that the bombing was continuous. "It hit us. I was trapped under debris. Glass had sticked into my head. They told that two [militants] were killed outside," the unnamed man said.

The United States early last month began air strikes against ISIL positions in northern Iraq to stop the militant group's advance......................http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-diplomat-says-us-air-strikes-against-isil-almost-killed-hostages.aspx?pageID=238&nID=71971&NewsCatID=359
20/9/14
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Related:

• ISIS/ISIL releases 49 Turkish hostages seized in Iraq (safely returned to Turkey)

• France strikes ISIS/ISIL depot in Iraq. France launches first air strikes on IS in Iraq

• Iran says airstrikes not enough to eradicate terrorism

• CIA estimates ISIS/ISIL has up to 31,500 members. (much higher than the previous estimate of about 10,000 ISIS fighters)