PARIS, June 12 (UPI) -- France announced Sunday the release of a French journalist and her Iraqi driver who were kidnapped in Baghdad five months ago.
A French foreign ministry spokeswoman said Florence Aubenas "is free and she is on her way back to France. She will arrive in Paris this afternoon."
She said that Aubenas' driver and interpreter, Hussein Hannoun, would remain in Iraq with his family.
French President Jacques Chirac said Aubenas was "in good health."
The 44-year-old journalist, who works for the French newspaper Liberation, and Hannoun were abducted when they left their Baghdad hotel January 5.
It was not immediately clear who the kidnappers were and whether a ransom was paid for their freedom. At least 20 foreigners are being held captive in Iraq, according to the BBC.
France opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
