11 abducted Iranian pilgrims freed in Syria

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has censured the “wrongful” abductions of Iranian pilgrims by unidentified groups in Syria, saying 11 of those recently kidnapped have been released.
A total number of 11 Iranian pilgrims have been freed through cooperation with friendly countries, Mehmanparast told reporters at his weekly press

conference in Tehran on Tuesday.
He added that the abductions of Iranian nationals cannot bring legitimacy to any groups or individuals.
Such moves are aimed at disrupting security and peace in Syria, the Iranian spokesperson emphasized, adding that these efforts run counter to human principles and international regulations.
On Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi dismissed Western media allegations about abducted Iranian engineers and pilgrims in Syria, saying such efforts are solely meant to distract public opinion.
Certain foreign media showed military service discharge cards of the kidnapped Iranians and claimed such documents revealed the abductees’ military affiliation, Salehi said.
At least eleven Iranian pilgrims were kidnapped on a road connecting the Syrian city of Hama to the capital, Damascus, on February 1.
This is not the first time that Iranians have become the target of abduction by unknown gunmen in Syria over the recent months.
On January 26, a group of unidentified armed men attacked a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims on a road connecting Damascus to the northwestern city of Aleppo. They kidnapped 11 men and drove off to an unknown destination. Their whereabouts still remain unknown.
Five Iranian electrical engineers were also kidnapped by unknown gunmen in the restive Syrian city of Homs on December 21, 2011. The group of engineers was abducted en route to the 450-MW power plant they were involved in building in Homs and are still in captivity.