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UK reporter freed in Afghan raid | UK reporter freed in Afghan raid |
(22 minutes later) | |
A UK journalist abducted in Afghanistan has been freed by Nato troops in a dramatic pre-dawn raid. | |
New York Times reporter Stephen Farrell was kidnapped on Saturday along with Afghan interpreter Sultan Munadi while investigating a Nato air strike. | New York Times reporter Stephen Farrell was kidnapped on Saturday along with Afghan interpreter Sultan Munadi while investigating a Nato air strike. |
Mr Munadi 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. | |
Special forces? | |
The newspaper's website reported he phoned the foreign editor of the newspaper at about 0030 BST (2330 GMT) on Wednesday and said: "I'm out! I'm free." Farrell said he also called his wife. | The newspaper's website reported he phoned the foreign editor of the newspaper at about 0030 BST (2330 GMT) on Wednesday 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 Stephen Farrell class="" href="/2/hi/middle_east/3610521.stm">UK journalist 'kidnapped' in Iraq | |
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." | |
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. | |
In a telephone call to his newspaper, he said he and his captors had heard helicopters approach before the dramatic rescue. | |
"We were all in a room, the Talibs all ran, it was obviously a raid," Farrell told the New York Times. "We thought they would kill us. We thought should we go out." | |
The reporter said he and the interpreter ran outside. | |
"There were bullets all around us. I could hear British and Afghan voices," he continued. | |
The correspondent said Mr Munadi advanced shouting: "Journalist! Journalist!" But the translator was shot and collapsed. | |
Farrell said he did not know whether the shots had been fired by militants or their rescuers. | |
He 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. | |
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." | |
Farrell is the second New York Times journalist to be kidnapped in Afghanistan in a year. | Farrell is the second New York Times journalist to be kidnapped in Afghanistan in a year. |
In June, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Rohde and his Afghan colleague were abducted in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and moved across the border to Pakistan from where they escaped. | In June, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Rohde and his Afghan colleague were abducted in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and moved across the border to Pakistan from where they escaped. |