BAGHDAD, April 21 (KUNA) -- Up to 26 Qataris held hostages for more than a year in Iraq have been set free, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior said on Friday.

Media Advisor at the Iraqi Ministry of Interior Wahab Al-Taee said in a statement the 26 Qatari hunters have been freed and handed over to ministry personnel. They will be later handed over to the non-resident Qatari ambassador.
The Qataris were released following marathon mediation efforts involving an armed faction.
The hunters were captured in Al-Muthanna desert in the south in January 2015. (end) ah.rk