Two young Italian aid workers who were taken hostage in Syria more than five months ago have been freed, Italy has confirmed.
Vanessa Marzullo, 21, and Greta Ramelli, 20, will return to Italy soon, officials announced.
No details were provided on the circumstances behind their release.
The pair had been working on humanitarian projects in the northern province of Aleppo when they were abducted.
Their captors released a hostage video two weeks ago which claimed the women were being detained by the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda's branch in Syria.
"We are in big danger and we could be killed," said one of the women in the video, speaking in English. "The government and its militaries are responsible [for] our lives."
The BBC's Gillian Hazel in Rome says there are unconfirmed rumours that a ransom worth up to $15m (£9.9m) was paid for the pair's release following negotiations facilitated by Qatar.
Italy has paid ransoms for Italian captives in the past.
Both the al-Nusra Front and its rival, Islamic State, have taken hostages during the conflict in Syria.
Italian aid worker hostages freed
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