LONDON - Veteran Times of London war correspondent Anthony Loyd and photographer Jack Hill are recovering in Turkey after narrowly escaping being taken hostage in Syria.

The newspaper said Thursday the pair had been double-crossed and briefly kidnapped by rebel fighters in Syria. Loyd was shot in the legs and severely beaten. Hill was also badly beaten.

They were injured while trying to return to Turkey after an assignment in the Syrian city of Aleppo. The paper said they were taken captive by the people entrusted with helping them cross the border.

It said they were released after members of the Islamic Front rebel faction confronted the gang holding the two journalists and their fixer.

Loyd was treated in a local hospital before the three crossed into Turkey.