AFGHANISTAN: Relatives of an Afghan driver beheaded by the Taliban protest outside a hospital in Helmand province demanding an explanation

Relatives of an Afghan driver beheaded by the Taliban protested outside a hospital in Helmand province on Tuesday, demanding to know why he was killed but an Italian journalist kidnapped with him was freed. Protesters blockaded an Afghan hospital where a newly freed Italian journalist hostage was staying on Tuesday (March 20), demanding details of the death of his beheaded driver. More than 200 relatives and friends of the executed driver, Syed Agha, protested outside the Italian-run Emergency hospital in the capital of southern Helmand province, Lashkar Gah, demanding to talk with the Italian, who was kidnapped by the Taliban two weeks ago. His translator, Ajmal Nakshbandi, is still being held. La Repubblica reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo later left the Lashkar Gah hospital on his way to Kabul, Afghan officials said. Mastrogiacomo, accused by the Taliban of spying for British troops, wrote in his paper on Tuesday of how he was forced to watch Agha die. "I can still see it now," he said. "I get off my knees. Four young men grab the driver and shove his face into the sand. They cut his throat and continue until they have cut his whole head. "He is not able to make a gasp. They clean the knife on his tunic. They tie his severed head to his body. They bring it to the river and let it go." Agha was found guilty by a Taliban court of spying and was killed on Thursday (March 19), the Taliban said. Analysts say he was probably killed to put pressure on Kabul and Rome to meet Taliban demands. Mastrogiacomo, Agha and a translator were kidnapped two weeks ago by the Taliban in lawless Helmand province, the opium capital of the world's biggest producer, about the same time as NATO launched its biggest Afghan offensive. During the protest at the hospital, Agha's brother Hamayoon demanded to know why the Italian journalist was saved but that his brother died. "My brother was kidnapped together with this foreigner journalist, now this journalist is freed but not my brother," said Hamayoon. "Why didn't Rahmatullah (the hospital director) also try to gain the release of my brother? What kind of justice is it that he managed to gain the release an infidel journalist but not a Muslim Afghan who was working for money to feed his family?" In his Tuesday article, Pakistani-born Mastrogiacomo did not explain why he was in a place most foreign journalists regard as too dangerous to visit, what he was doing to free his translator or what compensation would be offered to Agha's family. The Taliban say they freed him after the Afghan government handed over four of five insurgent leaders, including the brother of military commander Mullah Dadullah. A spokesman for President Hamid Karzai said a deal had been struck, but would not give any details. Security forces also arrested the head of the Emergency hospital in Lashkar Gah on Tuesday, but did not say why. The hospital had also been involved in negotiations to free another Italian reporter, Gabriele Torsello, late last year. NATO this month launched a major offensive against the Taliban and drug lords in Helmand.

ITN Source | March 20, 2007

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