The three Turkish hostages have been released by their Islamic kidnappers: Turkish hostages in Iraq released.

ANKARA (AFP) - Three Turkish hostages held in Iraq by an extremist group that had threatened to behead them have been freed, a Turkish official and a statement from the group carried by the Arabic television channel Al-Jazeera said.

“Yes, it’s true, they’ve been freed,” the Turkish official said. However he had no details on the release announced just hours before a deadline for their execution expired.

The hostages were held by the armed Tawhid wal Jihad (Unity and Holy War) group, led by the Jordanian Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, said to be linked to the Al-Qaeda Islamic extremist organization.

“In view of your honourable attitude … we are freeing these hostages and releasing them after they pledged to no longer help the infidels,” a spokesman for the group said in a videotape aired by the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera.

Addressing “Muslims and Mujahedeen in Turkey”, the group was referring to recent demonstrations in Turkey against the United States and its policy in Iraq.