Kidnappers of Qatari Royal Family Members 'Haven't Made Any Demands'...Yet

The kidnappers continue to hold members of Qatar's ruling family captive in Iraq and have advanced no demands yet, according to the Qatari newspaper Al-Raya.

No demands have yet been put forward by the gunmen who kidnapped members of Qatar's ruling family in Iraq, the Qatari daily Al-Raya reported on Saturday. They were abducted while hunting with falcons in a desert area of Iraq near the Saudi border earlier this week.

The newspaper quoted the source as saying that "it is still unclear who was behind the abduction and what the kidnappers' demands are."

The source said that negotiations on the release of hostages are being held by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Khalifa Al-Thani and Iraqi Interior Minister Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban.

Qatar royals among those abducted in Iraqi desert – report Members of Qatar’s royal family were among the group… https://t.co/1GuYWXa6bc

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On Tuesday night, a group of armed men dressed in military uniforms kidnapped 26 Qataris, including an undetermined number of Qatar's ruling family members, from a camp near the Bassiyah area, close to the Saudi border.

Meanwhile, some media outlets have reported that the gunmen allegedly released all the hostages from Arab countries, Iran and Southeast Asia, with the exception of representatives of the Qatari ruling family, who arrived in Iraq two weeks ago.

"They come to Iraq every year in December and stay there for 30 days to hunt," sources said.

Under Saddam Hussein, such trips were organized with the support of the local security services. After his overthrow, the number of trips to Iraq by Qatari hunters has decreased due to security concerns.