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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Italian released in Afghanistan | Italian released in Afghanistan |
| (39 minutes later) | |
| An Italian photographer kidnapped in Afghanistan last month has been freed, the Italian defence ministry says. | An Italian photographer kidnapped in Afghanistan last month has been freed, the Italian defence ministry says. |
| Gabriele Torsello and his Afghan translator were seized three weeks ago while travelling on a bus near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. | Gabriele Torsello and his Afghan translator were seized three weeks ago while travelling on a bus near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. |
| His kidnappers at one point offered to hand him over in return for an Afghan convert to Christianity, who had been granted in Italy. | His kidnappers at one point offered to hand him over in return for an Afghan convert to Christianity, who had been granted in Italy. |
| It is not clear what has happened to the translator. | It is not clear what has happened to the translator. |
| The news, which was first reported by the Peace Reporter website, followed rumours that Mr Torsello had been caught up in a shoot-out. | The news, which was first reported by the Peace Reporter website, followed rumours that Mr Torsello had been caught up in a shoot-out. |
| The website published a telephone interview with Mr Torsello in which he describes how his captors released him. | |
| "They arrived and opened the door. One of them grabbed me and took me out without letting me put my shoes on and without blindfolding me, a thing that they always did," Mr Torsello told Peace Reporter. | "They arrived and opened the door. One of them grabbed me and took me out without letting me put my shoes on and without blindfolding me, a thing that they always did," Mr Torsello told Peace Reporter. |
| "He pushed me hard. I had the chains - I couldn't follow him and I had to jump to be able to follow him. I thought they were going to kill me. | "He pushed me hard. I had the chains - I couldn't follow him and I had to jump to be able to follow him. I thought they were going to kill me. |
| "But they put me in a car instead." | "But they put me in a car instead." |
| He told Peace Reporter how he was kept in chains in a windowless room during his captivity, living on a diet of potatoes and Afghan bread dipped in soup. | |
| Mr Torsello, a Muslim convert, said: "On the first day I was always in chains, but at least I had a Koran and I could read it. | |
| "Then they moved me, and after that I didn't have the Koran any more." | |
| Found on road | Found on road |
| Peace Reporter, a daily online newspaper with links to the Italian aid agency Emergency, which has been in contact with the kidnappers, said a phone call to a hospital run by the agency said Mr Torsello had been left on a road to Kandahar. | Peace Reporter, a daily online newspaper with links to the Italian aid agency Emergency, which has been in contact with the kidnappers, said a phone call to a hospital run by the agency said Mr Torsello had been left on a road to Kandahar. |
| An Afghan member of Emergency's staff drove to the spot and found the Italian. Peace Reporter made no mention of his translator. | An Afghan member of Emergency's staff drove to the spot and found the Italian. Peace Reporter made no mention of his translator. |
| Mr Torsello later made an emotional call to his parents. They said it was the end of a "nightmare". | Mr Torsello later made an emotional call to his parents. They said it was the end of a "nightmare". |
| Last Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for his release, and footballers in Serie A and Serie B wore shirts which read "Liberate Gabriele Torsello". | Last Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for his release, and footballers in Serie A and Serie B wore shirts which read "Liberate Gabriele Torsello". |
| The identity of the kidnappers is not clear. The Taleban have denied any involvement. | The identity of the kidnappers is not clear. The Taleban have denied any involvement. |
| Kidnappings of Westerners are not uncommon in Afghanistan. | Kidnappings of Westerners are not uncommon in Afghanistan. |
| Italian aid worker Clementina Cantoni was released in June last year after nearly a month in captivity. The Italian and Afghan governments denied newspaper reports that a ransom had been paid. | Italian aid worker Clementina Cantoni was released in June last year after nearly a month in captivity. The Italian and Afghan governments denied newspaper reports that a ransom had been paid. |