Two kidnapped Macedonians released in Iraq
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-02-20 15:18

Two Macedonian contractors kidnapped near the southern Iraqi city of Basra have been released, a British military official said on Monday.

The official said he was unaware if any ransom had been paid for the two men, who work for Ecolog, a German cleaning company.

A Macedonian foreign ministry official had said the two, who were kidnapped on Thursday, were being held for ransom.

Macedonia has some 32 soldiers stationed in Iraq as part of the U.S.-led coalition. Between 1,000 and 1,500 Macedonian citizens are working in Iraq, lured by salaries far in excess of what they could expect to earn in Macedonia.

Three Macedonian citizens working as construction workers in Iraq were kidnapped south of Baghdad in August 2004. They were confirmed killed in October that year.

More than 200 foreigners and thousands of Iraqis have been abducted since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Most foreign hostages have been released, but 54 are known to have been killed; more than 50 are still believed to be held.