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NYT reporter freed in Afghanistan,a UK soldier dead

by Amitjha | September 8, 2009 at 09:34 pm

87 views | 32 Recommendations | 3 comments

It is more like Hollywood action flick, where commandos do the rescue mission. In a similar incident UK journalist Stepehen Farell, who was kidnapped on Saturday by the Taliban militia, has been rescued by the NATO troops early morning. It is his second such rescue, in 2004 he was rescued in Iraq.

A British journalist who was kidnapped in Afghanistan has been freed by Nato troops in a raid before dawn, an Afghan official has said.

New York Times reporter Stephen Farrell had been abducted on Saturday.

He was taken along with his Afghan interpreter while attempting to visit the scene of a Nato air strike.

The New York Times reported Mr Farrell said he had been "extracted" in a raid by "a lot of soldiers" after a fierce firefight with his Taliban captors.

The newspaper's website reported he had phoned the foreign editor of the newspaper at about 0030 BST and said: "I'm out! I'm free."

Mr Farrell said he had also called his wife.

In 2004, Mr Farrell was kidnapped in Iraq while working for the UK's Times newspaper.

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albertacowpoke

at 02:11 on September 9th, 2009

Thanks for this.

Amitjha

at 03:04 on September 9th, 2009

Unfortunately a British soldier died in the rescue mission.

A UK soldier has been killed during a dramatic raid to rescue a kidnapped journalist in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

He died in a firefight with the Taliban during the operation to free New York Times reporter Stephen Farrell.

Mr Farrell, who holds British and Irish nationality, was "extracted" by "a lot of soldiers", the New York Times said.

albertacowpoke

at 03:33 on September 9th, 2009

Civilians, including women and children, were killed in the firefight during the raid, the newspaper said, citing an unidentified Afghan journalist who spoke with villagers in the area. The U.K.’s Ministry of Defence said it couldn’t comment on the AP report that a British commando died in the raid.

Munadi and Farrell were seized four days ago by Taliban fighters while interviewing Afghans near the scene of a NATO attack on two fuel tanker trucks last week that killed at least 55 people, including civilians.

The interpreter had warned Farrell villagers in the area were angry about the deaths and the two had planned how to react if taken hostage, the New York Times said.