On Oct. 19, the 71-day captivity of two Turkish Airlines pilots came to an end. Murat Agca and Murat Akpinar were kidnapped in Beirut on Aug. 9 by people who aimed to prod Turkey to increase its efforts for the rescue of nine Lebanese pilgrims, who had been kidnapped in Syria in May 2012. After a complicated negotiation process, a swap deal was made possible, also because of the Syrian regime's cooperation as it agreed to free some female prisoners.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the two pilots home on Istanbul Ataturk Airport's tarmac, posing for a happy photo with their families. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu tweeted, as Agca and Akpinar were on their way to Turkey: “The success of this process, which our prime minister led, once again proves Turkey's regional importance.”