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  • AFGHANISTAN/FILE: Afghan government confirms death of kidnapped Italian reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo's Afghan translator

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AFGHANISTAN/FILE: Afghan government confirms death of kidnapped Italian reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo's Afghan translator

After the governments refusal to release insurgent prisoners, the Taliban killed an kidnapped Italian reporter's translator who was also kidnapped at the same time a month ago. The Taliban on Sunday (April, 8) killed the Afghan translator of an Italian journalist kidnapped last month after the government refused to free several insurgent prisoners, official said. "We waited a lot, but the government failed to meet our demand. Therefore, we killed him today," a spokesman for Taliban military chief Mullah Dadullah, Shahabuddin Aatil, told Reuters by satellite phone. The government confirmed the killing. "Unfortunately we received intelligence that Mr. Ajmal Naqshbandi, our young Afghan journalist, was martyred by the Taliban," Afghan intelligence spokesman Sayeed Ansari told reporters. "Even though the Taliban had given a deadline of 3:30 p.m. today, but unfortunately, against their promise, at 11:30, they martyred him." La Repubblica reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo was kidnapped along with his driver and the translator early last month. The Italian was freed after about two weeks when Kabul released five senior Taliban, but his driver was beheaded and the translator held in a bid to secure more rebel releases. The Mastrogiacomo deal has been widely criticised in Italy and Afghanistan, with security experts warning it would trigger more abductions of foreigners. Last week, two French aid workers -- a man and a woman -- were kidnapped along with three Afghan colleagues in rugged and lawless Nimroz province, between Iran and Afghanistan's opium heartland of Helmand province. On Friday, President Hamid Karzai ruled out any more prisoner swaps with the Taliban. The Taliban are also holding five Afghan health officials and have demanded the release of more rebels. The insurgents have not yet issued a ransom demand in return for freeing the French pair.

ITN Source | April 9, 2007Watch more videos from ITN Source

Tags:. .secure. .early. .april. .sunday. .deal











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