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Eight Former Chinese Hostages Leaving Iraq for Home
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=B2B019:2AB91D3

Insurgents say they released the men after China promised to
discourage its citizens from traveling to Iraq





Zhai Juan, 2nd right, of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Yang
Honglin, right, Chinese ambassador to Iraq, express sympathy and
solicitude to eight Chinese citizensEight Chinese laborers who were
held hostage by Iraqi militants for five days last week are on their
way home .

The group flew out of Baghdad earlier Tuesday, accompanied by several
Chinese diplomats. After a brief stop in Amman, Jordan, they will fly
on to Beijing.

The eight men were driving to Jordan when they were kidnapped last
Tuesday. The kidnappers released a video threatening to kill the
Chinese workers if Beijing did not explain why they were in Iraq.

The laborers were turned over to a Chinese embassy official at a
mosque in Ramdi on Sunday. The insurgents said they released the men
after Beijing promised to discourage its citizens from traveling to
Iraq.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.


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