Wed Oct 23, 2013 20:16:32
Syrian authorities have released 14 women detainees as part of a weekend hostage exchange.
Nine Lebanese Shia hostages held for 17 months by a militant group in northern Syria were exchanged on Saturday for two Turkish pilots detained in Lebanon since August.
The release of scores of female detainees held in Syrian jails formed part of the deal brokered by Turkey, Qatar and Lebanon.
"Fourteen of the women whose names were on the list" were freed late Tuesday, activist Sema Nassar told AFP on Wednesday.
The women were on a list of 128 names of female detainees handed to the Syrian authorities as part of the exchange deal, she added.
Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.
According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million of others displaced due to the violence.
HH/HH
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