Wednesday, February 19, 2025

June 30, 2011

French Journalists, Held By Taliban Since December 2009, Freed

After 547 days of being held as hostages in Afghanistan, two French journalists,Hervé Ghesquière and Stéphane Taponier, have been released and are due back in France today. The two were kidnapped on the 30th of December 2009 along with their Afghan translator, fixer and driver in the mountainous Kapisa province northeast of the Afghan capital of Kabul.

After 547 days of being held as hostages in Afghanistan, two French journalists,Hervé Ghesquière and Stéphane Taponier, have been released and are due back in France today. The two were kidnapped on the 30th of December 2009 along with their Afghan translator, fixer and driver in the mountainous Kapisa province northeast of the Afghan capital of Kabul.

In a statement released Wednesday, Sarkozy’s office said:

“The president is delighted at the liberation of our two compatriots, Hervé Ghesquière and Stéphane Taponier

The head of state joins in the joy of their families. He thanks [Afghan] President [Hamil] Karzai for his handling of this crisis as well as all those who took part in freeing the hostages.”

France24 states that there was no word of ransom payment for the release of the two journalists.

[Source: France24]