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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| German mother 'released in Iraq' | German mother 'released in Iraq' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A 61-year-old German woman kidnapped in Iraq earlier this year has been freed but her son remains a hostage, Germany's foreign minister has said. | A 61-year-old German woman kidnapped in Iraq earlier this year has been freed but her son remains a hostage, Germany's foreign minister has said. |
| Hannelore Krause and her son Sinan, 20, were seized from their home in western Baghdad in February. | Hannelore Krause and her son Sinan, 20, were seized from their home in western Baghdad in February. |
| A militant Islamist group had threatened to kill them unless German troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan. | A militant Islamist group had threatened to kill them unless German troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan. |
| Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Germany would do all it could to secure Sinan Krause's release. | Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Germany would do all it could to secure Sinan Krause's release. |
| "After 155 days, Hannelore Krause's captivity is over. She has been free since yesterday afternoon," Mr Steinmeier said, adding that he could not discuss the circumstances of her release. | "After 155 days, Hannelore Krause's captivity is over. She has been free since yesterday afternoon," Mr Steinmeier said, adding that he could not discuss the circumstances of her release. |
| "We are relieved that Mrs Krause is now free, but the worrying uncertainty about the fate of her son, who is still in captivity, remains," he added. | "We are relieved that Mrs Krause is now free, but the worrying uncertainty about the fate of her son, who is still in captivity, remains," he added. |
| Shocked | |
| In April, the pair were shown in a video posted on the internet by the militant group. | In April, the pair were shown in a video posted on the internet by the militant group. |
| Germany was shocked by the images of Mrs Krause sobbing as she begged the German authorities to help her and her son. | |
| But the government has insisted that it will not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, where some 3,000 soldiers serve as part of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force. | |
| German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the country would "not be blackmailed by people who are terrorists". | |
| Mrs Krause is believed to be married to an Iraqi doctor and has been living in the country for 40 years. | Mrs Krause is believed to be married to an Iraqi doctor and has been living in the country for 40 years. |
| Her son, who holds dual German and Iraqi citizenship, is reported to have worked at the Iraqi foreign ministry. | Her son, who holds dual German and Iraqi citizenship, is reported to have worked at the Iraqi foreign ministry. |