A deadline set by insurgents in Iraq for the execution of one of seven captives has passed with no word on the hostages' fate but mediators continue to work for their release.
A tribal leader (Sheikh Hisham al-Dulaimi) who is seeking to negotiate freedom for the three Indians, three Kenyans and one Egyptian was cautiously optimistic. He said their Kuwaiti employer had agreed to comply with some of the kidnappers' demands, including pulling out of Iraq.
Meanwhile, Turkish media are reporting that a Turkish truck driver kidnapped July 17th after his convoy was attacked near Mosul, has been freed and has returned home.
And relatives of four Jordanian truckers held by another militant group in Iraq say the kidnappers have told them the men will be freed soon.
Information for this story is provided by AFP and Reuters.