Report: Turkey Requested Reducing ‘Media Uproar’ to Help Release 11 Pilgrims
Turkey has requested that Lebanon reduce its “media uproar” over the 11 Lebanese pilgrims who were kidnapped in Syria nearly two weeks ago in order to allow it to resolve the case, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.
Sources monitoring the situation stated that the abductors chose to raise their demands for the release of the captives once they noticed the great media and political attention the case has been receiving.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had called on Friday the families of the pilgrims to maintain calm and allow the state more time to ensure the release of the captives.
The pilgrims were kidnapped on May 22 in the Syrian city of Aleppo as they were making their way back to Lebanon by land from a pilgrimage in Iran.
Their location remains unknown amid conflicting reports that they had entered Turkish territory.
No side has so far claimed responsibility for their abduction, but various sides had been accused of being behind the incident, including the Free Syrian Army, which has denied any involvement in the case.
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