New York Times Reporter Freed in Afghan Rescue Mission

Farrell was on location attempting to interview villagers concerning the weekend bombing in the area where 70 people lost their lives.

KABUL, Afghanistan (Catholic Online) - In an escalating war in Afghanistan there is a at least some good news! The Associated press reported Wednesday morning that Reporter Stephen Farrell of the New York Times was freed in a daring rescue mission undertaken by British commandos.

Sadly, in the same rescue, one British commando and the Afghan translator working for the Newspaper lost their lives.

The details of the mission have not yet been confirmed because of the fatalities. However, sources from the military confirmed the results of the rescue mission.

Farrell was on location attempting to interview villagers concerning the weekend bombing in the area where 70 people lost their lives.

The US military maintains that the bombing was of Taliban members and sympathizers. However, it is reported that two villagers were killed and the details of the incident have been disputed. Farrell was investigating when he was kidnapped, along with his translator.

In another interesting twist to this story, the abduction was not reported in any News Source. This was upon a specific request from the New York Times. the Paper maintains it was done in an effort to protect the safety of the Reporter and his translator.

This morning the New York Times posted a story which contained an intial quote from their freed reporter. He told a colleague he had been "extracted" by "a lot of soldiers" in a firefight.

The Times report, written by Eric Schmitt, indicates that the following exchange, revealing details of the raid, took place in a later phone call:

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"We were all in a room, the Talibs all ran, it was obviously a raid," Mr. Farrell said. "We thought they would kill us. We thought should we go out."

"Mr. Farrell said as he and Mr. Munadi ran outside, he heard voices. "There were bullets all around us. I could hear British and Afghan voices."

"At the end of a wall, Mr. Farrell said Mr. Munadi went forward, shouting: "Journalist! Journalist!" but dropped in a hail of bullets. "I dived in a ditch," said Mr. Farrell, who said he did not know whether the shots had come from allied or militant fire.

"After a minute or two, Mr. Farrell, who holds dual Irish-British citizenship, said he heard more British voices and shouted, "British hostage!" The British voices told him to come over. As he did, Mr. Farrell said he saw Mr. Munadi.

"He was lying in the same position as he fell," Mr. Farrell said. "That's all I know. I saw him go down in front of me. He did not move. He's dead. He was so close, he was just two feet in front of me when he dropped."

Mr. Farrell told the Times colleague that he was unhurt.
Neither The Times nor Mr. Farrell's family knew that the military operation was taking place."

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