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3 Turkish journalists held by the PKK freed

The journalists were held for 48 hours but released very shortly after their detention was made public
Anadolu Agency journalist Onur Coban, who was abducted on 19 February 2016 (AFP)

Three Turkish journalists, captured and held by the outlawed Kurdish Worker's Party for more than 48 hours, have been freed. 

According to Anadolu Agency, three of its journalists were detained by the PKK while working in the southeastern Mardin province, where AA correspondent Rauf Maltas (31), photojournalist Onur Coban (36) and cameraman Kenan Yesilyurt (26) had been sent last week to cover stories in the region.

However, shortly after the semi-official news agency publicly announced that its journalists were being held, the PKK released them. 

The PKK, which is seen as a terrorist organisation in Turkey and also in the US, has been clashing with Turkish security forces since last summer. 

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