Four die in Afghan raid to free journalist
Updated on 09 September 2009
A British special forces commando is one of four people killed in an operation to free British journalist Steven Farrell, kidnapped in Afghanistan while investigating the aftermath of a Nato bombing. Sue Turton reports.
Stephen Farrell, who has dual British and Irish citizenship and works for the New York Times, was successfully released by British and Nato troops but his Afghan interpreter and at least one civilian died during a firefight with the kidnappers.
Mr Farrell was taken hostage in Kunduz while investigating reports that Afghan civilians had been killed in the Nato bombing of two tankers seized by the Taliban.
He and his Afghan colleague Mohammad Sultan Munadi had been abducted while attempting to visit the scene of a Nato air strike that killed scores of Afghans in the north of the country.
In an account published on the New York Times website, Farrell said he was freed by commandos during the raid, but Munadi had been shot dead in front of him while they tried to run to safety.
"We were all in a room, the Talibs all ran, it was obviously a raid," Farrell said.
The two men ran outside, he said. "There were bullets all around us. I could hear British and Afghan voices."
Farrell said Munadi went forward, shouting "Journalist! Journalist!" but dropped in a burst of gunfire. Farrell did not know whether the shots came from insurgents or the rescuers.
Farrell said he dived into a ditch and after a minute or two heard more British voices.
He said he shouted: "British hostage!" and as he moved towards the voices he saw Mr Munadi lying on the ground motionless.
"He was lying in the same position as he fell," Farrell said. "That's all I know. I saw him go down in front of me. He did not move. He's dead. He was so close, he was just two feet in front of me when he dropped."
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that a British soldier also died in the raid. His next of kin have been informed.
Mr Farrell, 46, a former reporter with the Times in London, joined the New York Times in 2007 as a correspondent in the newspaper's Baghdad bureau.
It is the second time the journalist has been kidnapped. In April 2004, while on assignment for The Times, he was kidnapped at gunpoint by bandits near Fallujah in Iraq.
The Foreign Office said: "Efforts have been under way to secure the release of two hostages in Afghanistan.
"We can confirm that ISAF forces have freed one of the hostages."
