Indonesia sees freed Iraq hostages home this week
Indonesia sees freed Iraq hostages home this week
Reuters Jakarta
Indonesia expects two Indonesian women freed by an Iraqi militant group to be home by the end of this week, a foreign ministry official said on Tuesday.
"I don't think it will be next week. I think this week," Ferry Adamhar, the ministry's director for protection of Indonesians abroad, said when asked about the women's likely return.
He told Reuters they could leave the Middle East for Jakarta on Thursday or Friday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said the government was "absolutely delighted" by the women's release.
They were handed over on Monday to the United Arab Emirates embassy in Baghdad and are in the hands of the UAE Red Crescent awaiting evacuation to Abu Dhabi, from where they will return to Indonesia, said Marty.
"The release crowns concerted efforts on the part of the Indonesian government and many others," he said.
Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri had made a public appeal for the hostages' release on humanitarian grounds.
Indonesia had said the women should be freed without preconditions and rejected a demand to free cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, detained on suspected terror links, in exchange for their freedom. Bashir also said he wanted no part of such a deal.
"We are fortunate this time in securing the hostages' release unharmed, but our general call remains for Indonesians to avoid being in Iraq," said Marty.
Despite such warnings a number of Indonesian migrant workers are believed to have taken jobs in Iraq. Indonesia says the two women, Novitasari binti Sugito, 19, and Istiqomah binti Misnad, 32, were working as maids.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has been a staunch critic of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq. The Islamic Army in Iraq, a rebel group, said last week it had kidnapped the women among a group of 10 hostages, which included six Iraqis and two Lebanese men.
The fate of the other eight hostages was not clear. The Islamic Army in Iraq is believed to be the same group holding two French journalists hostage for more than a month.
Militants have kidnapped scores of foreigners in Iraq since April, few of whom have been women. Many hostages have been released, but about 30 have been killed.