Four kidnapped aid workers freed in Afghanistan

BBC ^ | 2 June 2012 | BBC

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Four aid workers kidnapped in northern Afghanistan last month have been freed by coalition forces, officials say.

British nutritionist Helen Johnston, Kenyan medic Moragwa Oirere and two Afghans were rescued in Badakhshan province on Friday after being captured on 22 May, the Nato-led Isaf said. UK Prime Minister David Cameron called it an "extraordinarily brave, breathtaking" operation.

Five hostage takers were killed during the rescue, Nato said The group - all employees of Switzerland-based aid group Medair - were making their way on horseback to the remote, mountainous province of Badakhshan, in north-eastern Afghanistan, when they were captured.

A fifth member - another Afghan national - was released soon afterwards. 'Hugely relieved' According to Isaf, the others were rescued by British and American troops who arrived under the cover of darkness. Lt Gen Adrian Bradshaw, Isaf deputy commander, told the BBC the mission took place in "some of the most demanding country on the planet". "They had to cover the ground very rapidly... The terrain was incredibly difficult terrain, very rocky, with scrub, in a deep gully - it was about the most testing target you could imagine," he said. "It does take real skill and there's real risk involved in this sort of operation, and we wouldn't have done it were there not a very clear threat to the lives of the hostages, which there was."

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Good news.

[riverrunner]

Five hostage takers were killed during the rescue

Yes very good news.

[Telepathic Intruder]

I love this sort of news. Brave soldiers risking their lives to save hostages, while cowardly terrorists lose their own trying to take those of others. What could be better?

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I’m not so sanguine. Why do these people make themselves available as live bait in the first place? There are a million places in the world to “do good” where you don’t inject yourself into other people’s fights. What if the brave soldiers had been killed rescuing people who should never have been there in the first place?

[Vanders9]

While echoing everyone’s praise of the soldiers serving in Afghanistan, the assorted aid workers - medics, missionaries, agriculturalists and engineers are the real frontline. They are there because they are the ones who give the lie to the Taliban’s accusations of western “crusaders” and western cruelty and oppression and “neo-colonialism”. That’s why the Taliban go out of their way to kill or kidnap them. They are scared of our military ok, but they are REALLY scared of our aid workers, because they are the ones who have the ability to drag the country out of the sixth century. Once ordinary Afghans get used to thinking and doing for themselves, that’s the end for the Islamists. And they know it.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Thanks for the prespective. I hope they are not risking their lives in vain. Everyone, even the Afghanis, know what’s going on. It’s a fight over power, the Taliban use the Koran as a pretext to bullying and power. The U.S. would not have gotten involved, but one of their acomplices killed a few thousand Americans on 9/11/2001.