Turkey Vows to Bring Back Journalists Missing in Syria

Turkey is working relentlessly to locate and repatriate two journalists missing in Syria for about 10 days, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday, amid reports one of them had been tortured.

"We sadly do not know where they are and we do not have any confirmed information. But we are working round the clock to find them and bring them back to Turkey safe and sound," he told a news conference.

Freelance cameraman Hamit Coskun and Adem Ozkose from the Istanbul-based Milat newspaper were handed over to Syrian intelligence by pro-regime militia near the northern city of Idlib, Anatolia news said Thursday.

The news agency said Coskun had been tortured.

Syrian intelligence units had taken the journalists out of the village of al-Fua in two armored vehicles, Anatolia said, adding that their whereabouts were now unknown.

The pair had traveled to Idlib near the Turkish border early this month to cover the deadly violence rocking Syria and make a documentary. The rebel stronghold was overrun by government forces last week.

Turkey on Friday urged thousands of Turkish nationals to leave Syria and said it was considering withdrawing its ambassador from the country.