Posted on 09/09/2009 2:42:12 PM PDT by OldCorps
A New York Times reporter taken hostage by militants was rescued from a hide-out in northern Afghanistan early Wednesday in a daring raid that left his translator, a British soldier and civilians dead.
Journalist Stephen Farrell was kidnapped Saturday while interviewing villagers in the northern province of Kunduz about NATO air strikes that reportedly left as many as 90 people dead.
Farrell's interpreter, one of the British commandos sent to rescue them and several others died when a firefight broke out during the raid.
According to the Times, Farrell called an editor at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and declared, "I'm out! I'm free!" The Times did not know about the military operation.
Farrell described to the Times hearing helicopters approach the hide-out as special forces dropped onto the home, prompting his Taliban captors to flee. He and interpreter Sultan Munadi followed, with the translator hollering, "Journalist! Journalist!"
Surrounded by bullets, Farrell dived in a ditch, but Munadi was struck by either allied or militant gunfire.
"He was lying in the same position as he fell," Farrell told the Times. "That's all I know. I saw him go down in front of me. He did not move. He's dead. He was so close, he was just two feet in front of me when he dropped." A spokesman for the Kunduz governor said a Taliban commander, the owner of the house and another woman were killed. British defense officials confirmed one of the commandos also perished.
Farrell, 46, a longtime journalist in the region who began working for the Times in 2007, had wanted to interview villagers near the site where U.S. jets dropped two bombs on tankers hijacked by the Taliban. Reports said villagers collecting fuel from the tankers had died.
Authorities had warned journalists that the area near the tanker strike was Taliban-controlled and dangerous. The Times did not publicize the kidnappings out of concern for the hostages' safety.
It is really stupid to risk the lives of soldiers in the rescue of journalists who are writing stories alleging atrocities by those very same soldiers.
Yeah. Disgusting. Now he’ll write a story about how the Allied Military put him in danger and killed his interpreter.
On Yahoo they said the NYT was nearly complete negotiating his release and they slammed the Brits for saving his sorry ass.
Glad I scrolled down before writing. Bears repeating though.
Too bad. A British commando died to rescue a Times reporter who was investigating the deaths of “civilians” connected to the raid on tankers stolen by Taliban terrorists. And he died this died after this idiot reporter ignored warnings that the area was dangerous.
Now, no doubt, the times can run his story blaming NATO for committing atrocities against “civilians.”
Personally, I find it tragic to see a young soldier lost in exchange for nothing more than a left wing propaganda rag agent. Better to use the reporters as soft body armor for the soldiers.
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