A £280,000 (€411,560) ransom payment today gained freedom for seven truck drivers held hostage in Iraq since July.

Militants took six foreign truck drivers hostage and threatened to behead them unless their company ends its business in Iraq, and their countries – India, Egypt and Kenya – pull all their citizens out.

A militant group in Iraq says it has taken six hostages – two Kenyans, three Indians and an Egyptian – hostage and will behead them if their countries do not announce their intention to withdraw their troops from Iraq immediately.