All four of the Bridges to Baghdad colleagues were released today. Following is a brief report with a few details. While the report below mentions only the two Italian women, Reuters has reported that the two Iraqi citizens were also released.

While we are celebrating the safe release of our colleagues, we are also resisting the continued occupation of Iraq–and preparing for the escalation of US military action that is now taking place and will likely intensify after the US elections on November 2.

Sincerely
Voices in the Wilderness

Sept. 28 (Bloomberg) — Two Italian aid workers held hostages in Iraq have been freed and are in good health, Prime Minister Berlusconi said in a televised press conference.

“The two girls are fine,” Berlusconi said. “This evening they will be able to hug their loved ones.”

Simona Torretta and Simona Pari, both 29, work for the Italian humanitarian group A Bridge to Baghdad and were kidnapped from their office there on Sept. 7.

Several groups, including the Jihad Organization, said in statements on Web sites that they had kidnapped and then killed the women. The Italian government earlier this week cast doubt on the statements that the women had been murdered. The captors demanded Italy remove its 3,000 soldiers from Iraq.

Berlusconi did not say what happened to two Iraqi workers for the group also taken hostage with the two Italian women. He did not give any details of how the hostages were liberated.