British, Dutch photographers freed in Syria

A British and a Dutch photographer have been freed after being held hostage eight days in Syria and are now in Turkey, the Dutch foreign ministry said Friday.

Freelance photographers John Cantlie and Jeroen Oerlemans were kidnapped in northern Syria on July 19 and released on Thursday.

“Yesterday we got the confirmation that a Dutch photographer missing since Thursday last week was back in Turkey,” foreign ministry spokesman Christoph Prommersberger told AFP, adding that Cantlie was also freed.

The Dutchman was “wounded but doing relatively well,” he said.

The spokesman would not say who carried out the kidnapping.