Taliban rebels freed a German hostage in Afghanistan last night after more than two months in captivity.
"The German citizen . . . who was kidnapped in Afghanistan is once again free. We are happy and relieved," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.
Photo taken last week of Rudolf Blechschmidt in captivity in Ghazni province
Rudolf Blechschmidt, an engineer, later arrived at the German embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul.
Mr Blechschmidt and five Afghans were seized with another German in Wardak province, just southwest of Kabul, in July. The Taliban kidnappers shot dead the other German soon afterwards after he suffered a heart attack.
The local Taliban leader behind the kidnap handed the German and the five Afghan captives over to government authorities in exchange for the rebel chief's father and three supporters arrested after the incident.
The Taliban had demanded Germany withdraw its more than 3,000 troops from Afghanistan. Berlin refused to do so.
The six captives were kept in a darkened room with one blanket between them in a mountainous area of Wardak, according to an Afghan reporter.
The rebels last month briefly kidnapped four employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross who had travelled to accept the handover of the six men.