David Rohde, a New York Times reporter who was kidnapped by the Taliban, escaped Friday night and made his way to freedom after more than seven months of captivity in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Mr. Rohde, along with a local reporter, Tahir Ludin, and their driver, Asadullah Mangal, was abducted outside Kabul, Afghanistan, on Nov. 10 while he was researching a book. Mr. Rohde was part of The Times’s reporting team that won a Pulitzer Prize this spring for coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan last year.
Mr. Rohde told his wife, Kristen Mulvihill, that Mr. Ludin joined him in climbing over the wall of a compound where they were being held in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan. They found a Pakistani Army scout, who led them to a nearby army base, and on Saturday they were flown to the American military base in Bagram, Afghanistan…
Until now, the kidnapping has been kept quiet by The Times and other media organizations out of concern for the men’s safety…
Both Mr. Keller and Mr. Rohde’s family declined to discuss details of the efforts to free the captives, except to say that no ransom money was paid and no Taliban or other prisoners were released.
“Kidnapping, tragically, is a flourishing industry in much of the world,” Mr. Keller said. “As other victims have told us, discussing your strategy just offers guidance for future kidnappers.”
RTFA. Long, detailed account – not only of this adventure; but, of David Rohde’s dedication to good, traditional journalism. He’s had no shortage of despots and murderers to cover from Bosnia to Afghanistan.
Oh, that’s OK, #19 Mr. Fusion,
Alphie agrees with me, we should all be allowed to kill people we don’t like, just like Obama peronally killed those totally innocent, Somali teenage pirates who were just tending to their own personal business.
He agrees we should all be allowed to kill people we don’t like, without Miranda or a trial.
He’s so open-minded, I can hardly believe it, considering the number of people who don’t like HIM!
RE #20
I forgot to post a link. If anyone is interested,
http://tinyurl.com/lsbwhd
Happy Fathers Day everyone.
Alphie, leaving it in your hand does not qualify as being a father.
The right takes their news reporting seriously.
The paper that reveled in revealing national security secrets when Bush was president, asked other news outlets to keep this kidnapping a secret.
#21, Flat,
Good point.
Now if I was an Alphie type of guy I would have that point referring to the shape of Alphie’s head, but since I’m not, …
#25, Lyin’ Mike,
Say what? Since when has breaking the law been a national secret?
We should be happy that the light of day has been shone on such crap and those who endanger our country. Shame on all those who try to defile America’s good name.
#19 – Mr. Fusion – Ayatollah Alphie is in harm’s way every time he takes his life in his hands and attends church.
You never know when the guy beside you is going to pull out his gun and start killing the other churchgoers.
Does anyone remember how long the NY Times sat on the story of the NSA listening to our calls. I believe it was close to a year. Or how Dick “Tricky” Cheney totally owned the NY Times leading up to the invasion of Iraq by leaking half truths and innuendo to the NY Times reporter in the middle of the week and then appear on the Sunday news shows to comment on the “leaks”. Usually saying something to the affect that the leak wasn’t the half of it.
So cut the crap about the “liberal” NY Times. In my opinion, even their editorial page seems to me to be closer to the middle than to the left. If you want to be infuriated with a more left leaning paper, try The Washington Post. Or better yet, listen to the Pacifica Radio Network. Obama is a right wing nutjob compared to them.