KABUL - Four Turkish engineers were freed by the Taliban in eastern Paktia province on Sunday after eight months in their captivity when tribal leaders intervened.
The construction engineers who were kidnapped last December in Paktia were handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the neighboring Ghazni province, local officials told TOLOnews. "They [the Turkish engineers] were kidnapped by the Taliban eight months ago and they are now set free as we asked the Taliban to release them," Haji Zahir, a tribal elder told TOLOnews.

One of the engineers who asked not be named said no ransom was paid for their release and they not tortured while in captivity.
A Taliban spokesman confirmed their release.
Turkey has nearly 2,000 troops operating under the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan.