TRIPOLI, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Three Turkish workers kidnapped by gunmen in southern Libya last year have been freed, Libya's UN-backed government announced Saturday.
"On Saturday evening, with the efforts of the security services, the three Turkish technicians of the Turkish company ENKA Teknik, which is executing the (Obari gas power plant) project, have been freed," the information office of Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj said in a statement.
It said the trio had left Obari and were on their way to Tripoli, from where they would proceed to their country.
"The prime minister expressed great interest in the issue for its humanitarian side, and also because it obstructed the work of the Obari power plant project, which is expected to contribute significantly to solving the problem of electricity in Libya," the statement added.
An unidentified armed group on Nov. 3 kidnapped four foreign workers, three Turks and a German, working at the power station in Obari, 1,100 km south of capital Tripoli.
A security source in Obari confirmed later on Saturday the release of the Turkish workers as well as the German with German company Siemens after tribal mediation with the kidnappers.
Following the kidnappings, more than 600 other foreign workers left Obari last year.
The construction of the power plant began in 2012, but was suspended in 2014 due to deteriorating security conditions. It has been restarted.
Following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi's government, Libya has been suffering escalating violence and insecurity, as well as political division.
