Large-scale prisoner swap of Syrian, Turkish, Iranian captives
The Turkish IHH Islamist organization reports a large-scale prisoner exchange underway in Damascus Wednesday morning involving 2,130 Syrian civilians, including 73 women, released by the Syrian government in exchange for 48 Iranian prisoners held by the Syrian rebel FSA rebels for six months. A number of Turkish captives are also being handed over in the exchange taking place at various police stations in the Syrian capital and other cities, successfully brokered by Turkey and Qatar. The rebels claimed the the 48 Iranians were Revolutionary Guards officers and men, while Tehran called them pilgrims.