Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan hinted that a prisoner swap might have taken place with the Takfiri militant group operating in Iraq and Syria, ISIL.

Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan hinted that a prisoner swap might have taken place with the Takfiri militant group operating in Iraq and Syria, ISIL.

Speaking at the Council of Foreign Relations in the US city of New York on Monday, Erdogan indicated for the first time that his country might have traded ISIL prisoners with dozens of its citizens held captive by the Takfiri militants.

The hostages, comprised of 46 Turks and three Iraqis, came back to Turkey on Saturday after over three months. The ISIL captured them when it seized the Iraqi city of Mosul in June.

Ankara has refrained from disclosing how Turkish authorities managed to secure the release of the hostages with Erdogan denying that any ransom had been paid.

In response to questions about the process, he said that that it took 102 days and “involved an operation by the national intelligence agency.”

“As to the rest, you probably cannot expect us to publicly divulge what the international agencies do in their business but the end result is that 49 diplomatic consular staff have been released.”

The release happened after Ankara announced it will refuse to play a direct role in the so-called US-led international coalition against ISIL. Turkey has been widely criticized for supporting the ISIL terrorists wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraq.

Quoting Turkish government officials and media reports, The New York Times recently reported that Turkey is one of the biggest sources of foreign militants for the Takfiri group, which has captured large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria.