Iraqi female journalist set free after abduction by gunmen

An Iraqi female journalist and activist who was kidnapped from her Baghdad home by unidentified gunmen last week was freed on Tuesday, a security source told Xinhua Wednesday.

"The militant group abducted Afrah Shawqi and set her free late last night in Baghdad and the incident is under investigation," the source said on condition of anonymity.

The abductors also returned Shawqi's personal jewels and her car after they stole them earlier from her house.

Late on December 26, masked armed men broke into the house of the journalist Afrah Shawqi in Saidiya district in southern Baghdad and abducted her.

The journalist is considered one of the critics of the country's corruption, and recently wrote an article which tackled the consequences of the proliferation of armed group outside the law.

Shortly after her release, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi phoned Shawqi to reassure about her safety and promised to pay her a visit later, according to local media.

On December 27, a statement issued by the premier office said that Abadi ordered the security forces to investigate the kidnapping and to "exert the utmost effort to save her life and to chase any that proved involved in the crime."

Iraq is considered one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, who have been frequently targeted by the chaos and insecurity since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

source: Xinhua