French released from Afghan hostage crisis back home
Two French journalists have returned to France after spending 18 months as hostages in the hands of insurgents in Afghanistan. Stéphane Taponier and Hervé Ghesquière were personally welcomed by President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday.
France's First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Defense Minister Gérard Longuet and Foreign Minister Alain Juppé were also present at the welcome at the airbase in Villacoublay near Paris. The journalists, who were released on Wednesday together with their Afghan translator, appeared to be in good health. They were abducted along with two other Afghans in December 2009 while reporting for French television on the repair of a road east of Kabul.
The two experienced reporters initially accompanied a unit of the French armed forces in Afghanistan, but decided to continue reporting on their own. Their fate led to a campaign in France for their release.
The Taliban stated that the insurgents had made a number of demands before the hostages were released. The French government stated that no ransom had been paid. (sda)
