Kidnapped Italian Reporter Freed

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16 | THE DAILY EVERGREEN WORLD NEWS TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2007 Kidnapped Italian reporter freed Reporter held in Afghanistan for pens.” His hands and feet were two weeks said he saw captors chained, and he was made to walk for miles in the desert, he behead an Afghan hostage. said. Mastrogiacomo said knowl- By Maria Sanminiatelli edge of the support of his col- The Associated Press leagues and countrymen gave him strength. ROME — An Italian jour- “I knew that Italy was sup- nalist held for two weeks in porting me and that was the only Afghanistan said after his release comfort in the most desperate Monday that he saw his captors moments, when I feared I was cut off the head of one of the two going to be killed at anytime Afghans kidnapped with him and soon,” he said. “This is the most thought he would be next to die. beautiful moment of my life.” In an interview with RAI Tg3 Mastrogiacomo, 52, who News, Daniele Mastrogiacomo had worked for the newspaper described a harrowing experi- in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and ence. “I saw him be decapitated,” elsewhere since 2002, was kid- he said. napped March 5 along with the He said the kidnappers threw two Afghans while traveling in the Afghan to his knees and suf- Afghanistan’s southern Helmand focated him in the sand as they province. Taliban insurgents cut his head off. claimed responsibility. “Then they wiped the knife “He is in good health and on his clothes. I was shaking. I expect that in a few days, we Obviously I thought ‘it’s my turn will be able to hug him,” Italian now,’ ” Mastrogiacomo said. Premier Romano Prodi said. Mastrogiacomo said he was Prodi said securing struck in his back and head with Mastrogiacomo’s release “was an AK-47 during his capture, but not simple.” was not hurt at any other time. Ezio Mauro, editor of La “If they needed a blanket, they Repubblica, said he knew of no gave me one too. If there was ransom paid in exchange for bread to share, they shared it Mastrogiacomo’s release. But with me, so that was not a questions began to surface about problem,” he said. how the journalist’s freedom had The fate of the other Afghan been secured. who had been with the journalist Alfredo Mantovano, an was not immediately known. opposition senator, pointed to In an earlier audio posted on reports in Afghan media that five the Web site of his newspaper, Taliban extremists were released La Repubblica, Mastrogiacomo in exchange for Mastrogiacomo. said he slept in 15 different pris- Officials in Afghanistan had not ons that were “as small as sheep confirmed the reports..

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