UK reporter freed in Afghan raid
Thursday, 10 September 2009
A UK journalist abducted in Afghanistan has been freed by Nato troops in a dramatic pre-dawn raid, reports BBC.
New York Times reporter Stephen Farrell was kidnapped Saturday along with Afghan interpreter Sultan Munadi while investigating a Nato air strike. Mr Munadi - a father of two - was killed during the rescue operation.
Farrell, who holds dual British-Irish nationality, said he was "extracted" by "a lot of soldiers" after a fierce firefight, the New York Times reports.
Farrell, 46, had travelled to Kunduz in northern Afghanistan to investigate an air strike last Friday on two hijacked fuel tankers, in which dozens of civilians reportedly died.
It is not the first time Farrell has been abducted while on assignment - in 2004 he was kidnapped in the Iraqi city of Falluja while working for the London Times newspaper.
The New York Times website reported he phoned the foreign editor of the newspaper at about 0030 BST (2330 GMT) and said: "I'm out! I'm free." Farrell said he also called his wife.
The Talibs all ran, it was obviously a raid, we thought they would kill us, there were bullets all around
In a second telephone call to his newspaper, he said he and his captors had heard helicopters approach before the rescue.
The reporter said he ran outside with his interpreter, who AFP news agency reports was a 34-year-old man working in Afghanistan while on a break from university studies in Germany.
He said Mr Munadi advanced shouting: "Journalist! Journalist!" But the translator was shot and collapsed.
Some reports from Afghanistan suggest that British special forces were involved in the rescue.
But a UK defence ministry spokeswoman told the BBC: "It was a Nato operation, we do not comment on special forces."
Farrell said he did not know whether the shots had been fired by their rescuers or the militants.
The correspondent said he dived into a ditch and after a minute or two, shouted: "British hostage!"
Farrell then heard British voices telling him to come over and as he did, saw the body of Mr Munadi.
The two burned out tankers in Kunduz, pictured on 5 September 2009, the day Farrell and Mr Munadi were abducted
Up to 70 civilians were killed in the Kunduz air strike, reports say
Bill Keller, the executive editor of the New York Times, said: "We're overjoyed that Steve is free, but deeply saddened that his freedom came at such a cost."
The two were kidnapped in the Kunduz area on Saturday while investigating the Nato air strike of a day earlier that unconfirmed reports say left some 70 civilians dead.
New York Times reporter Stephen Farrell was kidnapped Saturday along with Afghan interpreter Sultan Munadi while investigating a Nato air strike. Mr Munadi - a father of two - was killed during the rescue operation.
Farrell, who holds dual British-Irish nationality, said he was "extracted" by "a lot of soldiers" after a fierce firefight, the New York Times reports.
Farrell, 46, had travelled to Kunduz in northern Afghanistan to investigate an air strike last Friday on two hijacked fuel tankers, in which dozens of civilians reportedly died.
It is not the first time Farrell has been abducted while on assignment - in 2004 he was kidnapped in the Iraqi city of Falluja while working for the London Times newspaper.
The New York Times website reported he phoned the foreign editor of the newspaper at about 0030 BST (2330 GMT) and said: "I'm out! I'm free." Farrell said he also called his wife.
The Talibs all ran, it was obviously a raid, we thought they would kill us, there were bullets all around
In a second telephone call to his newspaper, he said he and his captors had heard helicopters approach before the rescue.
The reporter said he ran outside with his interpreter, who AFP news agency reports was a 34-year-old man working in Afghanistan while on a break from university studies in Germany.
He said Mr Munadi advanced shouting: "Journalist! Journalist!" But the translator was shot and collapsed.
Some reports from Afghanistan suggest that British special forces were involved in the rescue.
But a UK defence ministry spokeswoman told the BBC: "It was a Nato operation, we do not comment on special forces."
Farrell said he did not know whether the shots had been fired by their rescuers or the militants.
The correspondent said he dived into a ditch and after a minute or two, shouted: "British hostage!"
Farrell then heard British voices telling him to come over and as he did, saw the body of Mr Munadi.
The two burned out tankers in Kunduz, pictured on 5 September 2009, the day Farrell and Mr Munadi were abducted
Up to 70 civilians were killed in the Kunduz air strike, reports say
Bill Keller, the executive editor of the New York Times, said: "We're overjoyed that Steve is free, but deeply saddened that his freedom came at such a cost."
The two were kidnapped in the Kunduz area on Saturday while investigating the Nato air strike of a day earlier that unconfirmed reports say left some 70 civilians dead.