Soldiers Kidnapped in Egypt Released

Seven Egyptian soldiers kidnapped in the Sinai Peninsula last week have been released, the Egyptian army said on Wednesday.

According to spokesman Colonel Ahmed Ali in a statement posted online, the seven men are now on their way to Cairo following their release.  The statement recognized the work done by the military intelligence and the tribal leaders of Sinai.

According to a state-run news agency, the soldiers were released in the desert south of Rafah.

The Egyptian authorities have reopened the Rafah border crossing after it has been closed for days by Egyptian security forces, the news agency said.

President Mohamed Morsi personally welcomed the men at a military airbase in Cairo where they were flown from Sinai.

Morsi thanked the armed forces, security agencies, as well as the people and the leaders of Sinai for securing the release of the soldiers.

He also vowed to hunt down the people responsible for the abduction.

Authorities are still trying to rule out details on the kidnappers. It’s not yet clear how the men’s release was secured.

Source: aljazeera.com, cnn.com