An official in the Turkish prime minister's office today said an intensive diplomatic effort is underway to free 80 Turkish citizens held by militants in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said that Turkish officials are talking directly with the militants in Mosul.
The captives include 49 people seized in the Turkish consulate there yesterday. The militants, from the al-Qaida-inspired group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also seized 31 Turkish truck drivers in Mosul.
Yesterday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan held an emergency cabinet meeting while NATO's North Atlantic Council, the US led alliance's primary political decision-making body, met at Turkey's request for a briefing on the crisis.
