Kidnappers Free Turkish Hostage Held for Six Months

Turkish officials say militants in Iraq have released a Turkish businessman held captive since January.

Officials in Turkey say Abdulkadir Tanrikulu is now in the Turkish embassy in Baghdad, waiting to return home.

Mr. Tanrikulu was working for a construction company when he was kidnapped in Baghdad January 13th. His kidnappers open fire on a company minibus that came to pick him up, killing six employees on board.

Elsewhere in Baghdad on Wednesday, a former Iraqi minister of electricity who claims he represents an insurgent group listed several demands for U.S. forces. Ayham al-Samarie called for a timetable of between one and three years for the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops. He also called for a halt to military offensives against insurgents, and he demanded the continued rebuilding of the Iraqi army.