26 hostages held in Iraq now free

A group of 26 Qatari hostages kidnapped in southern Iraq were released on Friday after nearly a year and half in captivity. The group, rumored to be held by Iraqi Shiite militia Kata’eb Hezbollah, included members of the Qatari ruling family. The release came amid complex negotiations between Iran, Qatar, and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah involving the payment of millions of dollars to Sunni and Shiite factions, according to Iraqi officials. The hostage deal was also linked to one of the largest civilian population transfers in Syria’s civil war. The group, kidnapped in December 2015 from a desert camp for falcon hunters, was released into the custody of the Iraqi Interior Ministry and departed Friday afternoon on a private Qatari jet from Baghdad airport.