- Reaction score
- 3,950
- Points
- 1,260
Condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of the fallen.
From the New York Times:
From BBC Online:
From the New York Times:
Stephen Farrell, a New York Times reporter held captive by militants in northern Afghanistan, was freed in a military commando raid early Wednesday, but his Afghan interpreter was killed during the rescue effort.
A British commando was also killed in the raid, a senior allied official in Afghanistan said.
Armed gunmen seized Mr. Farrell and his interpreter, Sultan Munadi, four days ago while they were working in a village south of Kunduz.
An Afghan journalist who spoke to villagers in the area said that civilians were also killed in the firefight to free the journalists. That report could not be independently verified, and details of the operation itself were sketchy.
Mr. Farrell and Mr. Munadi were abducted on Saturday while they were reporting the aftermath of NATO airstrikes on Friday that exploded two fuel tankers hijacked by Taliban militants. Afghan officials have said up to 90 people, including many civilians, were killed in the attack, which NATO officials are now investigating.
In a brief telephone call about 7:30 p.m. New York time on Tuesday, Mr. Farrell told Susan Chira, the foreign editor of The Times: “I’m out! I’m free!”
Ms. Chira said Mr. Farrell told her that he had been “extracted” by a commando raid carried out by “a lot of soldiers” in a fierce firefight with his captors. Mr. Farrell said he had also called his wife ....
From BBC Online:
A UK soldier has been killed during a dramatic raid to rescue a kidnapped journalist in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
He died in a firefight with the Taliban during the operation to free New York Times reporter Stephen Farrell.
Mr Farrell, who holds British and Irish nationality, was "extracted" by "a lot of soldiers", the New York Times said.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has praised the "tremendous effort" of the team that freed him, his spokesman said.
Flying bullets
The soldier's next of kin have been informed, the MoD said. The number of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan since 2001 is now 213.
Journalist Sultan Munadi, who worked as an interpreter with Mr Farrell, also died in the raid along with two more Afghan civilians.
Mr Farrell, 46, had travelled to Kunduz in northern Afghanistan to investigate an air strike last Friday on two hijacked fuel tankers when he was kidnapped.
The New York Times 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." Mr Farrell said he also called his wife....