ISTANBUL- Seven Turkish citizens who were being held in eastern Libya have been brought back safely to Turkey, the country's foreign ministry said on Sunday.
The seven people were mostly restaurant employees and had been held in Libya's east for two years, according to state-owned Anadolu news agency.
Qatari intelligence cooperated with Turkey's National Intelligence Agency (MIT) in their efforts to secure the safe release of the seven Turks, Anadolu said.
"We thank the Libyan and Qatari governments, especially the related institutions that contributed to the process of the release of our citizens," Turkey's foreign ministry said in a statement.
Turkey deployed troops to Libya under a 2019 accord on military cooperation signed with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), helping it repel an assault by General Khalifa Haftar's forces based in eastern Libya.
(Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen; editing by David Evans) ((ali.kucukgocmen@thomsonreuters.com , @alikucukgocmen; +905319306206; Reuters Messaging: Reuters Messaging: ali.kucukgocmen.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
