Turkey traded 180 IS fighters for 49 Turkish hostages

An important member of the terrorist group calling itself the Islamic State has revealed the details surrounding the release of nearly 50 Turkish foreign service employees IS captured as they seized control of the Iraqi city of Mosul.

The Australian reports that in return for the 49 Turks, which included senior diplomats and members of the Turkish special forces, 180 members of IS were released from captivity in Turkish prisons. Among the released fighters were citizens of Great Britain and the European Union.

Until now, the release of the Turkish embassy staff had been a mystery. The Turkish government, which heavily restricts the media and press, issued a ban on reporting about the incident, further clouding the details of both the kidnapping and eventual release of the embassy staff.

Members of the government had suggested that a prisoner swap took place, but did not provide anything more than insinuation.

The Australian says that the IS fighters were being held in a prison in the Turkish city of Sanliurfa, not far from the border with Syria. A jihadi named Al-Meqdad al-Sharoury told the Australian that while in captivity he and his fellow jihadists were treated well until they were awoken one night and transported to Iraq for the exchange.

The Australian says that ten EU citizens were part of the exchange. Among those EU citizens were two Britons, three French, two Swedes, one Belgian, and two Macedonians.

Foreign fighters make up a large part of IS forces in Iraq and Syria. They are also a major concern for governments around the world who fear that they may return to their native countries and carry out acts of terrorism. It is one of the few issues that all of the world's major powers cooperate on, including the United States, Russia, and China.