Turkey releases IS prisoners in swap deal to free Turkish diplomats: Report

The Foreign Office of the United Kingdom is seeking clarification from the Turkish authorities following reports that suggested Istanbul had swapped European jihadists including two Britons, in lieu of its diplomats held hostage by the Islamic State (IS).

According to The Guardian, British officials have admitted that there is some ambiguity over the exact circumstances but have not ruled out that the Turkish government, a member of Nato, made the deal.

The report said that 180 IS fighters wounded during U.S. air strikes in August and being treated in Turkish hospitals were swapped in exchange for 49 hostages in a deal mediated by local Arab Sunni tribal leaders.

The group had captured 49 Turkish consulate staff in Mosul in June. They were held hostage for 101 days until September 20.

Turkey has claimed that the release was achieved through diplomacy.

British counter-terrorism officers are concerned about two British citizens, Shabazz Suleman, aged 18 and Hisham Folkard, 26, who are reported to have returned to the IS fold after the deal.