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Two German hostages freed in IraqEngineers seized in January north of BaghdadFrom CNN's Berlin Bureau Chief Chris Burns RELATEDSPECIAL REPORT
• Interactive: Who's who in Iraq
• Interactive: Sectarian divide
• Timeline: Bloodiest days for civilians
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- Two German engineers, nabbed by kidnappers in Iraq more than three months ago, have been freed, a German foreign ministry spokeswoman told CNN. Rene Braunlich and Thomas Nitzschke are expected to return to their home country on Wednesday, she said. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued a statement Tuesday saying he spoke on the telephone with the two men, who were unharmed, and told them that everyone is overjoyed that they have been released. In his statement, Steinmeier thanked the German crisis group and American and European regional partners, although he did not specify what role they played in securing the hostages. The ministry spokeswoman would not disclose details of their release, citing standard policy. German media reported that Braunlich and Nitzschke would be reunited with their families Wednesday afternoon in the central German city of Leipzig. The two men were abducted January 24 north of Baghdad while working at a detergent factory on the grounds of the Baiji oil refinery, a common target for insurgent attacks. They were last seen in a videotape broadcast on the Dubai-based Al Arabiya satellite television channel on February 13, seated and being held at gunpoint The tape bore a February 11 electronic time stamp. In a videotape that aired five days after their abduction, the kidnappers called themselves the Supporters of God's Unit and Sunna Brigades. They had demanded that Germany close its embassy in Baghdad and threatened to kill the men in 72 hours if their demands were not met. 
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