Today’s Zaman reports: The terrorist Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seemingly set free 46 Turkish hostages in exchange for the release by Turkey of some key figures of the radical Islamist organization.

“A couple of figures who are very, very important for ISIL were traded in the swap [for the hostages],” Abdülkadir Selvi, a columnist in the pro-government Yeni Şafak daily, said on Monday.

Selvi, who is a journalist particularly close to Erdoğan and the government, affirmed in his column that he reached such a conclusion after looking into what happened behind the scenes.

ISIL, which calls itself the “Islamic State,” captured 49 people, three of whom were reportedly Iraqis, from the Turkish Consulate General in Mosul when it seized the northern Iraqi city in June.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan did not deny, at a press meeting he held before leaving for the US on Sunday, that a swap might have been made to set free the Turkish hostages. [Continue reading…]