The chairman of the Istanbul-based International Truckers Association, Cahit Soysal, said he hoped the company's decision to pull out of Iraq would help save the lives of at least two Turkish truck drivers believed to be held by militants.
Up to 300 Turkish trucks carrying food, drinking water, special aircraft fuel and other supplies to US forces cross into Iraq every day. "As of today, they no longer will be," Mr Soysal said. Turkey's truck fleet makes up approximately 14% of all trucks servicing Iraq.
The wife of the murdered Turkish hostage, Murat Yuce, said her husband had gone to Iraq to help pay off the family's credit card debts.
"One month's instalment was all that remained and then he was going to return ... He would have died for his children and this is effectively what happened," she said.
