Syrian rebels praised after prisoner exchange.
Thirteen nuns kidnapped by Syrian militants blamed for some of the worst atrocities in the Syrian civil war have been freed in a prisoner exchange. Far from being ill-treated, they describe their keepers as kind and sweet. Before they went on their way they exchanged pleasantries with the rebels from Jabhat al-Nusra, a rebel group that fights for the creation of an Islamic state in Syria. One nun, who was too weak to walk, was carried to the car by a rebel fighter who covered his face with a black scarf.
The remarkable scene was part of a deal brokered between extremist rebels and the Syrian Government that saw the release of 13 nuns captured in December in exchange for the release of 150 female prisoners and four children held by the Government. Later, one of the nuns would give a brief account of their time with one of the most feared rebel groups in Syria: "They were kind and sweet."
The release is the latest in a series of similar exchanges between government forces and rebel groups, despite the country's brutal civil war continuing apace. The Government is keen to portray itself as the protector of minorities in Syria - predominantly Christians and Alawites.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a watchdog based in the UK, declared Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, was behind the abduction.
