Dozens of Islamic State hostages freed in Turkey

Dozens of Turkish hostages seized in Iraq by the Islamic State in June were freed Saturday, but the details of the release are a mystery.

The 49 hostages were captured from the Turkish Consulate in Mosul, Iraq, on June 11, when the Islamic State group overran the city in its surge to seize large swaths of Iraq and Syria.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the release was the result of the intelligence agency's "own methods," but didn't elaborate.

"After intense efforts that lasted days and weeks, in the early hours, our citizens were handed over to us and we brought them back to our country," Davutoglu said.

Turkish leaders and the hostages gave only limited details. A few hostages hinted at ill treatment and death threats.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported no ransom had been paid and "no conditions were accepted in return for their release," but the organization didn't cite any source for its reporting.

"I think it's fair to say that we haven't been told the full story," said Aaron Stein, an associate fellow at the London-based Royal United Services Institute who has studied Turkey's security policy.

Families broke through security lines and rushed toward the plane to greet loved ones as they descended the stairs of Davutoglu's plane, whose arrival at Ankara's airport was broadcast live on Turkish television.

Consul General Ozturk Yilmaz thanked Turkish officials but refused to take more questions, saying: "I haven't seen my family for 102 days. All I want to do is to go home with them."

Turkey had been reluctant to join a coalition to defeat the Islamic State group, citing the safety of its 49 kidnapped citizens, but Stein said he doubted Turkey would drastically change their stance.

"There will some changes, but not as much as people hope," he said.

Contributing: The Associated Press