Two Bangladeshi workers, who were taken hostage by the Islamic militant group ISIS in Libya, have been released on Tuesday evening, 18 days after the abduction.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Libya Maj Gen Shahidul Haque confirmed the news through a press statement.
According to the statement, the two Bangladeshi hostages– Helal Uddin of Jamalpur and Mohammed Anowar Hossain of Noakhali– were released on Tuesday evening.
They were taken to Sirte hospital for medical check-ups, read the statement.
“The physical conditions of both the Bangladesh nationals are reportedly normal. They are expected to be brought to the concerned company’s Tripoli office Wednesday.”
The release came hours after one of the victims Helal made a surprising phone call to his family members in Jamalpur from captivity on Tuesday morning.
Helal made the unexpected phone call to his family members first time since he was abducted by the ISIS militants, around 10:30am.
Quoting Helal’s wife Aleya, our correspondent said during the four minutes conversation, the ill-fated Bangladeshi worker told his wife that he heard the militants talking about the release of Bangladeshi labourers.
“The militants let him make the phone call and they may set the Bangladeshi hostages free within a day or two,”Aleya told the Dhaka Tribune.
Helal and Anowar were taken hostage, along with seven other foreign nationals, during an attack on a central oil field by militants from Libya’s Sirte city, 700 kilometres from capital Tripoli.
The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry confirmed of the abduction of Helal through a press release on March 9.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the authorities in Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli, are closely monitoring the entire situation.
Ambassador Shahidul told a relative of Anowar in an e-mail that officials were trying their best to rescue the hostages.
The abductees, who are the employees of VAOS, an Australian oil company, could be released because of the prompt initiatives and constant efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as Bangladesh embassy in Libya, the ministry said in a statement.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
