Free Syrian Army releases 11 Iranians

ALTINOZU (A.A) - Eleven Iranians arrested by the Free Syrian Army were released Tuesday after a mediation by Turkey's Humanitarian Aid Foundation (IHH) at a location close to the Turkish border. The eleven Iranians crossed the border and arrived at the Kolcular village of the Altinozu town of Hatay province. Seeing the Iranians in his village, the village chief of Kolcular informed the Karbeyaz Gendarmery Station. In an ID check, the gendarmery forces found out that ten of the Iranians carried the passports of the Islamic Republic of Iran while one of them had no passport. The Iranians have been detained by Turkish gendarmery forces at the Karbeyaz Gendarmery Station. Turkish authorities have launched an investigation on the eleven Iranians. Meanwhile, in a statement released on their web site Tuesday, the Free Syrian Army has said that they released eleven Iranians. The Free Syrian Army said that the Iranians arrested were members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and sharp shooters who shot at Syrian opposition members. The Iranian soldiers were released on Monday night, the Free Syrian Army said. The Free Syrian Army has said that they were not against Iranian citizens but were against Iran's support to the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Iran had said that the eleven Iranians were pilgrims who went to Syria to visit holy sites.