Families celebrate release of hostages

"We thought we would die and never see our families again," Mehmet Bakir, one of the released hostages told reporters as he was welcomed by his family in Diyarbakir. "Our being Muslim had a significant bearing on our release," he said.

The Turks were among dozens of people kidnapped in Iraq in recent months. Most have been freed, but several were slain — two by beheading.

Mustafa Bal, Abdulselam Bakir and Mehmet Bakir went to Iraq 20 days ago to work for Kayteks, a Turkish air-conditioning company doing business with U.S. forces there.

Kayteks agreed to leave Iraq in order to save its workers. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul thanked several nongovernmental organizations that had participated in demonstrations against a NATO summit this week in Istanbul and against U.S. President George W. Bush, who was in Turkey to attend the summit, saying their protests helped the release of Turkish workers.

The families of the workers cheered the release of their sons on Tuesday.

Hudai Bakir, Abdulselam and Mehmet’s father, said he felt relieved the moment he learned the good news, adding: "We had been been praying for their release, and we are very, very happy now."

Two other Turkish captives, held separately by another group in Iraq, told their families earlier this week on the phone that they would soon be released.