PH thanks Iraq for swift rescue of kidnapped Filipinas

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday thanked the Iraqi authorities for the swift and successful rescue of two Filipinas who were reportedly kidnapped there three days ago.

According to the DFA, the Iraqi authorities informed the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad on Sunday that the two Filipinas are now under police custody after they were rescued in Diyala Province north of the capital a day after the incident.

In his report to the home of-

fice, Chargé d’Affaires Julius Torres said they were informed by authorities in Diyala Province that the two were rescued from members of a criminal group who forcibly took them on Friday.

Quoting Iraqi authorities, Torres said several members of the group were arrested during the police rescue operation and that charges were being prepared against them.

As an offshoot of the rescue, Torres said they have requested Iraqi authorities for access to the two rescued women and the two other Filipinas who were earlier reported to have been taken into custody after escaping from the same armed men who took them.

Earlier reports showed that the four Filipinas came from Erbil in the northern Kurdistan Region and were on their way to Baghdad when they encountered the armed men along the highway in Uzem District between Kirkuk and Diyala.

The women were reportedly taken by the armed men after their driver abandoned their vehicle. However, two of the four women were reportedly able to escape from their abductors.

The Filipino diplomat said they would request custody of the four women as soon as the police investigation is concluded so that they could immediately be repatriated.

The Embassy estimated that there are 4,000 Filipinos working in Iraq, with around 3,000 based in Kurdistan.