One of the six Egyptian hostages held in Iraq was released overnight on Tuesday, a source close to the Egyptian charge d'affaires in Baghdad told Xinhua.Engineer Alaa Maqar was released shortly after 12 p.m. (2000 GMT Monday) and was now in the headquarters of the Egyptian holding Orascom telecom company in Iraq, said the source who refused to be identified.

There was no information about the other Egyptians held by the kidnappers, he added.

Maqar was among the six Orascom employees who were abducted along with two Iraqis by gunmen on Wednesday and Thursday.
No group claimed responsibility and it was reported that Orascom offered a ransom.

Egypt's official MENA news agency said the two Iraqis had also been released, and the other five Egyptian hostages were set to be freed, without specifying when.

The Egyptian government has been following up closely the hostage crisis in Iraq and made intensive efforts to secure the release of the kidnapped nationals.On Sunday, Farouq Mabrouk, the top Egyptian diplomat in Iraq, held talks with the head of the Muslim Scholars Association, an influential religious body that has been involved in mediation efforts in releasing a number of kidnapped foreigners.

The Cairo-based Arab League also appealed to the abductors on Sunday to release the six Egyptians with no condition.
With the security situation deteriorating in Iraq, at least 26 foreign hostages have been killed by their kidnappers this year, while the rest were released after demands were met or ransoms were paid.

Some Iraqis, such as contractors and engineers, who were considered by the insurgents as US collaborators, were also
abduction targets.

Source: Xinhua