Kidnappers free Dutch woman held in Afghanistan

A Dutch journalist kidnapped in Afghanistan was freed unharmed today after nearly a week in captivity, her Belgian employer said. Joanie de Rijke, 43, was kidnapped Saturday in a town near the capital, Kabul, while she was working on a story for Belgium’s P magazine on the deaths of 10 French troops in a Taliban ambush in August, said Michael Lescroart, editorial chief at the magazine’s publisher De Vrije Pers.
     
Lescroart said the kidnappers had demanded a ransom but declined to say if one had been paid. De Rijke was examined briefly at a Kabul hospital after her release and is hoping to fly back to Belgium this weekend.

“Physically, she’s in good shape,” Lescroart said. Security has deteriorated around Afghanistan over the last two years, although violence against Westerners in the capital has been relatively rare until recently. Security in Kabul has deteriorated dramatically, with a rash of kidnappings and security warnings.
     
Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman Rob Dekker confirmed a Dutch hostage had been released but declined to release her identity, citing security issues.
     
Dekker also declined to give details of the release, but added: “The Dutch government does not pay ransoms.”

(Agencies)

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