DAMASCUS - The 48 Iranian pilgrims who were kidnapped earlier Saturday by armed men near Syrian capital Damascus have been released, the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV said, giving no further details.

A source in the Iranian embassy confirmed earlier Saturday the kidnapping of 48 Iranian pilgrims, who were snitched while en route to Damascus from the airport.

Kidnapping of Shiite pilgrims in Syria has become common in recent day as the crisis in Syria has veered toward a sectarian rift between the majority Sunnis, the backbone of the anti- government movement in Syria, and the ruling Alawitte elite, an offshoot of Shiism.

The release of the pilgrims could not be verified with the absence of Syrian officials.

While the incessant violence drags on, the war of attrition against the Syrian army has continued Saturday in the capital and Aleppo province amid reports that the Syrian army regained control of troublesome districts of Damascus.