ANKARA, Turkey, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced Saturday 49 hostages taken by Islamic State militants have been released.
They were seized from the Turkish consulate in June when IS -- also known as ISIS or ISIL -- seized Mosul during their rapid advance.
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The hostages included diplomats, their families and soldiers.
According to the Prime Minister, all of the hostages are in good health.
He also added they are being escorted to the southern Turkish city of Sanliurfa by the Turkish intelligence agency.
The U.S. has carried out more than 170 airstrikes against IS since August.
For the first time on Friday, French fighter jets carried out their first strikes -- hitting an IS depot in northeastern Iraq.
