Disclosed is a process for dehydrohalogenating an aromatic bromide or iodide by contacting the aromatic halide with hydrogen at elevated pressure in the presence of an alkyl halide-forming compound and a Group VIII metal catalyst. The presence of the alkyl halide-forming compound, such as an alkanol, diol, triol or derivative thereof, facilitates the dehydrohalogenation reaction and permits the recovery of the halogen ad alkyl halides from which the bromide and iodide values can be economically recovered.