AFGHANISTAN:Two UN workers freed from weeks in captivity in Afghanistan left the country yesterday, while the group that said it held them threatened more abductions unless a promise to release Taliban prisoners in exchange was fulfilled.
The group, the Jaish-e Muslimeen, threatened to kidnap more foreigners if authorities did not release 24 members of the former Taliban regime now being held in jail. It said the prisoners were to have been released in exchange for the freedom of the three UN workers last week.
Ms Annetta Flanigan from Richill Co Armagh and Ms Shqipe Hebibi from Kosovo left Kabul on a UN flight in the morning and would spend a few days on holiday before joining their families, UN spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva said.
A third hostage, Filipino diplomat Mr Angelito Nayan who was freed with the women last Tuesday, returned to Manila last week.
None of them has given details about their captivity or how they came to be freed.
Akbar Agha, head of the Taliban splinter faction that had claimed to hold the hostages, complained that 24 Taliban prisoners in return for the three foreigners had yet to be freed.
"Right now it appears we have been deceived and there is a 50 per cent chance of the release of our prisoners," he said.
"If we are disappointed about the release of our prisoners, then, in 15 days, we will take some action that will compel the Afghan government to release our prisoners.
"This includes kidnapping some foreigners," he said. "And to kidnap a foreigner is a very easy job".
The government says it does not believe the trio were ever held by Jaish, but the group may have hired a criminal gang that carried out the abductions.
On Friday, a former British journalist who runs a guest house in Kabul said he had helped negotiate the release of the hostages by passing on an offer of a $1.5 million ransom to Jaish from Kosovan businessman Behgjet Pacolli via an intermediary.
However, the former journalist, Peter Jouvenal, said he did not think the money had been paid and Jaish has denied receiving any ransom, or demanding one.