Syria Rebels Claim Iranian Pilgrims Were Militiamen

Iran is working with Turkey and Qatar to secure release of the hostages

Iran said Sunday that it was seeking the aid of Turkey and Qatar, nations with close ties to the Syrian opposition, in securing the release of dozens of Iranian citizens kidnapped the day before in Syria.

But the case took a dramatic and potentially sinister turn when a purported Syrian rebel commander appeared in a video saying his brigade was holding the hostages. The commander labeled the captives Iranian militiamen nabbed while on a "reconnaissance mission" in Damascus, the Syrian capital.