Italian women hostages freed - report

Two Italian women aid workers, kidnapped in Iraq three weeks ago, have been released, Al Jazeera television reported today.

They were handed over to the Italian charge d’affaires in Baghdad, the satellite news station said.

Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, both aged 29, were snatched from their Baghdad office on September 7 and had not been heard of since.

There were claims on the internet last week that they had been beheaded.