Kidnapped Iranians in Syria released

Damascus, Aug 5 (IANS) Forty-eight Iranian Shia pilgrims kidnapped near Damascus Saturday were released, Xinhua reported.

The Iranians were planning to visit a shrine near here when they were abducted.

Kidnappings have become common in Syria lately, as the country's political crisis veered toward a sectarian rift between majority Sunnis and the ruling Alawitte, an offshoot of Shiism.