AlHijjah 24, 1434, Oct 29, 2013, SPA -- Four Frenchmen taken hostage by extremists in Niger have been released after three years of captivity, President Francois Hollande announced on Tuesday. According to AP, the four were captured in September 2010 by the North African wing of al-Qaida, spirited from their dormitories in the French-operated mining town of Arlit, where they worked for the French nuclear company Areva. Hollande made the announcement during a trip to Slovakia, and fully credited Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou for their release. He did not give details of exactly how or when they were freed, but said that French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian were heading to Niamey, the capital of Niger, to bring them home.
