It has been confirmed that two French journalists who have been held hostage in Iraq since August have been freed.
The development, which was earlier reported on Al Jazeera television, has been confirmed by the French Prime Minister, Jean Pierre Raffarin.
Mr Raffarin said he could confirm that the journalists had been released and would return to Paris tomorrow.
The militant group, the Islamic Army, has been holding Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot for four months.
The group was quoted in September saying that it had conditionally agreed to free the two men.
Mr Chesnot and Mr Malbrunot were kidnapped on a road south of the Iraqi capital on 20 August.
