Two western photojournalists freed in Syria
July 28, 2012 00:18
Two Western photojournalists in Syria were held captive for a week by Islamic militants before being rescued by Syrian rebels, one of the men said.
Jeroen Oerlemans, a prominent Dutch photographer, told Business News Radio of the Netherlands that he is not sure which group held him and John Cantlie of Britain, but said he is sure they were not Syrian.
"They all claimed they came from countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh and Chechnya, and they said there was some vague 'emir' at the head of the group," he said in a seven-minute interview from Turkey, where the men were resting after their ordeal. Oerlemans was also recovering from two gunshot wounds suffered during an escape attempt.
His account would seem to add weight to reports that foreign Islamic fighters are going into Syria to support the rebel side.
Oerlemans told Business News Radio that he and Cantlie entered Syria on July 19, and were captured almost immediately.
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