The Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday the release of an Iraqi citizen who had been kidnapped in Homs, Syria.
The ministry detailed in a statement broadcasted by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that Abu al-Hassan Hamid Musa’ad, who was abducted three weeks ago in the Al-Bayada area of rural Homs after traveling from Basra to marry a Syrian woman, has been freed.
The ministry credited the successful release to “the diligent efforts made by the Iraqi embassy in Damascus and Beirut, in cooperation with the Iraqi National Intelligence Service and through direct engagement with the security leaderships of the Syrian government and Lebanese security agencies represented by the intelligence command.”
The statement also noted that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of $500,000. However, the Iraqi embassy and the National Intelligence Service managed to secure his release without entering into any negotiations with the kidnappers.
The perpetrators will be dealt with according to the law by the competent authorities.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to protecting its citizens abroad and expressed appreciation for the productive cooperation between Iraqi security agencies and their counterparts in Syria and Lebanon, which contributed to this successful outcome.
Iraqi Defense Minister Thabit al-Abbasi revealed that the high-level military committees between the Iraqi and American sides have reached an agreement on the withdrawal of coalition forces over two years and transitioning the relationship into a sustainable security partnership.
In an interview with Al Arabiya, Abbasi stated, “It has been agreed to end the coalition’s mission in two phases, the first starting this year and continuing until 2025, with the second phase of the American withdrawal completing fully in 2026.”
