Kidnappers Free Two French Journalists, Interpreter after 18 Months
29 June 2011
Two French journalists abducted in Afghanistan 18 months ago have been released, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced. Herve Ghesquiere and Stephane Taponier were freed along with their interpreter, Reza Din, Mr Sarkozy said in a statement in Paris. They are reportedly now at a French base in north-eastern Afghanistan. Expressing delight, Mr Sarkozy thanked Afghan President Hamid Karzai for his handling of the hostage situation. Prime Minister...
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Afghanistan NGO Safety Office Bi-Weekly Security Report
21 June 2011
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While May concluded with the reporting of extraordinary levels of conflict related activity (surpassing the previous peak recorded in August 2010), the opening period for June indicates a continuation of this momentum, reporting similarly high levels of incidents (see p. 7). This periods figures also reveal that despite security force efforts at interdiction and disruption of AOG networks (both manpower and supply related) through the winter and...
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Kidnapped Afghan Politician Was Killed in "Usually Stable" Area: Officials
07 June 2011
A leading politician from what is normally one of Afghanistan's most stable regions has been killed, officials said on Tuesday, another blow as NATO-led forces prepare to begin handing over security responsibility to Afghans next month. The body of Jawad Zuhaak, the head of the provincial council in central Bamiyan province, was found in neighbouring Parwan province on Tuesday, a senior hospital official said. Zuhaak and his bodyguard had been kidnapped...
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27 May 2011
Attacks against NGOs by armed opposition have remained stable and low throughout the Q1 (p.3), although the overall level of incidents, including criminal acts, has grown by 38%. The criminal sector saw an increase of 50% (p.4) with attacks by AOG increasing by a lower rate of 29% (or just four actual attacks). A total of seven persons have been killed, comparable to eight at Q1 2010, all by small arms fire either as a result of deliberate intent...
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Taliban Release Video of Kidnapped Canadian, Claim He Is a Spy
09 May 2011
A Toronto man held in captivity by the Taliban says in a video released Sunday by the militant group that he went to Afghanistan to visit historical sites. Colin Rutherford, 26, says he was interested in "history and historical sites, old buildings, shrines" when he flew to Kabul in October. He spent a few days in the capital, then headed to the eastern city of Ghazni, where he was captured by militants the day after arriving, he says in the video. In...
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Iranian Engineers Kidnapped in Western Farah Province Freed
20 April 2011
Twelve Iranian engineers kidnapped in western Afghanistan have been released along with three Afghan colleagues, police and officials in the two countries said on Wednesday. The men, who were working on a road construction project, were snatched at gunpoint on Monday in the Post-i-Road district of Farah province, which borders Iran. "All the 12 hostages were released at around 5:00 pm (1230 GMT) today. They were released with the help of local elders...
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Iranian Engineers Kidnapped in Western Farah Province
18 April 2011
Twelve Iranian engineers and five of their Afghan colleagues were kidnapped by Taliban gunmen on Monday in a remote region of Afghanistan near its border with Iran, local officials and the Iranian government said. The men, who were working on a road construction project, were snatched at gunpoint in the Post-i-Road district of Farah province, which borders Iran, provincial government spokesman Naqibullah Farahi told AFP. Tehran confirmed the abduction...
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Overview of Recent Security Developments
08 April 2011
Afghan and coalition forces concluded operations in the Marawara district of Kunar province today after clearing out insurgent fighters near the villages of Sarowbay, Barawarlow Kalay, Shirugay, Kowtgay and the surrounding area, military officials reported. The combined security force moved into a mountainous area near the Pakistan border to disrupt insurgent activities in the region and protect citizens who live there. More than 80 insurgents were...
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Taliban Set Free 19 of 50 Recently Abducted "Policemen"
28 March 2011
The Taliban on Monday freed 19 of 50 policemen in their captivity as a result of arbitration by tribal elders in eastern Kunar province, the governor said. The off-duty policemen were kidnapped by the Taliban in an ambush in the Chapa Dara district when they were returning from neighbouring Nuristan province where they had traveled to collect their salaries. Tribal elders were able to secure the release 19 of the hostages, Sayed Fazlullah Wahidee,...
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Gunmen Kidnap Construction Crew in N. Afghanistan
18 March 2011
A team of three Pakistanis and three Afghans who were working on a road building project in northern Afghanistan have been kidnapped, a local official said Friday. The five construction engineers and their Afghan driver were abducted as they travelled by convoy in the relatively peaceful north of the country late Thursday, the local director of public works told AFP. [...] The governor of Sari Pul province, Sayed Anwar Rahmati, said police had been...
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