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The German woman abducted Saturday in Kabul was freed by Afghan security forces late Sunday and is now “in the safe custody of the German embassy in Kabul,” a Berlin official said.
Four gunmen kidnapped the woman, Christina M, as she was leaving a restaurant in Afghanistan’s capital on Saturday. The police was alerted and a search operation was immediately launched.
Roadblocks were set up at the city’s exit points and servicemen conducted a thorough search in the district she was kidnapped. During an overnight raid, security forces managed to release the 32-year-old woman and detain the abductors, the Afghan Interior Ministry informed on Monday.
The kidnapers denied having ties with Taliban militants, saying they are part of a different group who wants the release of “innocent prisoners.” A video was aired on Sunday by an Afghan television, the woman pleading for her release during a short statement before a spokesman of the group holding her intervened.
”We have Madam Christina. We are trying hard to keep her safe,” the man said. “We want for the government of (Afghan President) Hamid Karzai to release our innocent prisoners. ... We don't have any other demand. We are not bad people.”
Christina M is an aid worker for the Christian organization Ora International operating in the country for more than 15 years.
Despite kidnappings of German citizens and repeated attacks on troops, Berlin pledged to continue supporting the Afghan government and won’t interrupt its mission in the war-torn territory.
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