Kidnapped German Woman Shown On Afghan TV

From an elated Associated Press:

Afghan TV shows kidnapped German woman

By AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Writer

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan television on Sunday broadcast what it said was video of a kidnapped German aid worker — prompted by a man off-camera — calling for the release of prisoners, but police said Taliban militants were not behind the woman’s brazen daytime abduction.

The woman, shown sitting on the floor inside a room, her head covered with a white scarf, identified herself as Christina Meier. She said “I am OK” and then read a letter in the Afghan language, Dari, calling for the release of unknown prisoners.

She was prompted to make remarks both in English and in Dari by a man speaking in broken English.

The private Tolo TV, which broadcast the video, did not say how it obtained the material.

“I am fine. There are not threats against me. I want from my country to do what it can for my release,” she says in Dari, reading from a piece of paper, while seated, occasionally looking up toward camera.

A male voice off-camera prompts her to say, “to help” and tells her also to use the word “urgent.”

“Please help for my release, and help me,” she says.

A man, his head covered with a scarf and wearing sunglasses inside a room, appears afterward and demands from Afghan government to release a number of unknown prisoners. He says a member of the group would provide the government with the list.

“We are not bad people. We are a special network,” the man says at the end of the video. He does not identify the group or say whether it is linked to the Taliban or other insurgents operating in Afghanistan.

In recent weeks, the Taliban have offered media interviews with their foreign hostages, apparently hoping to appeal to public sentiment and thereby pressure the Afghan government to release Taliban prisoners. In such cases, the hostage’s comments and message are controlled by the captors and the statements are made in that context…

What courageous heroes.

He does not identify the group or say whether it is linked to the Taliban or other insurgents operating in Afghanistan.

Ah, then according to our watchdog media the kidnappers must be “civilians.”

  Update!

Here’s an update from the Associated Press:

German captive freed in Afghanistan

19 August, 2007

By RAHIM FAIEZ, Associated Press Writer

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan police freed a female German hostage from a Kabul neighborhood and arrested a group of kidnappers early Monday, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

"A group of kidnappers were arrested," Bashari said…

That was quick.

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