Apparently Germany has paid another ransom

And ransom money in Iraq often goes to funding terrorist activities. (You may also recall the Susanne Osthoff story.)

From this account:

Two German engineers held hostage in Iraq since January have been released and are safe, the foreign minister said Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the men — Thomas Nitzschke and Rene Braeunlich, of Leipzig — were in a safe place in Iraq and were being cared for by German officials there. They were expected to return to Germany sometime Wednesday, Steinmeier said.

"Based on initial information, both men are unharmed and in stable condition," Steinmeier said in a statement.

Nitzschke and Braeunlich were kidnapped Jan. 24 from an Iraqi government-owned detergent plant in Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad. Their employer, Leipzig-based Cryotec Anlagenbau AG, has a commercial relationship with that company.