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| Four aid workers rescued in Afghanistan | Four aid workers rescued in Afghanistan |
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| Four aid workers including a British woman have been freed by special forces in Afghanistan a month after they were taken hostage. | |
| The aid workers employed by Swiss-based Medair had been en route to flood-stricken parts of Badakhshan province in May when they were kidnapped. | The aid workers employed by Swiss-based Medair had been en route to flood-stricken parts of Badakhshan province in May when they were kidnapped. |
| The Briton is Helen Johnston, 27, who lived in Stoke Newington while studying nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The others were a Kenyan and two Afghans. | The Briton is Helen Johnston, 27, who lived in Stoke Newington while studying nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The others were a Kenyan and two Afghans. |
| "It was a successful operation conducted by troops and all aid workers have been released," said Shamsul Rahman Shams, the deputy governor of Badakhshan. | "It was a successful operation conducted by troops and all aid workers have been released," said Shamsul Rahman Shams, the deputy governor of Badakhshan. |
| He said five hostage-takers were killed in the operation late on Friday. Police have said the men demanded money for the release of the group. | He said five hostage-takers were killed in the operation late on Friday. Police have said the men demanded money for the release of the group. |
| The aid workers had been travelling by donkey to visit a clinic in the remote Yawan district of north-eastern Afghanistan, where the road had been destroyed by floods caused by melting snow after one of the worst Afghan winters in decades. | The aid workers had been travelling by donkey to visit a clinic in the remote Yawan district of north-eastern Afghanistan, where the road had been destroyed by floods caused by melting snow after one of the worst Afghan winters in decades. |
| In a statement, Britain's foreign office (FCO) said: "We are pleased to confirm that last night Helen Johnston, a British aid worker, Moragwa Oirere, a Kenyan aid worker, and two Afghan aid workers who were abducted in Badakhshan Province in north-east Afghanistan on 22 May, were successfully rescued. | |
| "All four individuals work for Medair, a humanitarian non-governmental organisation based in Switzerland. They are all now safe. Helen and Moragwa are receiving support from British embassy staff in Kabul. The two Afghan aid workers are returning to their families in Badakhshan. | "All four individuals work for Medair, a humanitarian non-governmental organisation based in Switzerland. They are all now safe. Helen and Moragwa are receiving support from British embassy staff in Kabul. The two Afghan aid workers are returning to their families in Badakhshan. |
| "Staff from the FCO remain in close contact with Helen's family who are understandably hugely relieved at this news. We are also in touch with Moragwa's family and with the Afghan and Kenyan governments, and Medair have been in close contact with the families of the Afghan aid workers. | "Staff from the FCO remain in close contact with Helen's family who are understandably hugely relieved at this news. We are also in touch with Moragwa's family and with the Afghan and Kenyan governments, and Medair have been in close contact with the families of the Afghan aid workers. |
| "Helen and her colleagues were rescued by Isaf forces, including UK forces, in a carefully planned and co-ordinated operation. This operation was ordered by the commander of ISAF and was authorised by the prime minister. We pay tribute to the bravery of the coalition forces which means that all four aid workers will soon be rejoining their families and loved ones. We have worked closely with the Afghan authorities throughout and we would like to thank them for their support." | "Helen and her colleagues were rescued by Isaf forces, including UK forces, in a carefully planned and co-ordinated operation. This operation was ordered by the commander of ISAF and was authorised by the prime minister. We pay tribute to the bravery of the coalition forces which means that all four aid workers will soon be rejoining their families and loved ones. We have worked closely with the Afghan authorities throughout and we would like to thank them for their support." |
The | Police in Badakhshan said the gunmen belonged to criminal groups taking advantage of the difficult terrain and the loose grip that Afghan security forces have on the area. The Johnston family, in a statement released by the FCO, said: "We are delighted and hugely relieved by the wonderful news that Helen and all her colleagues have been freed. |
| "We are deeply grateful to everyone involved in her rescue, to those who worked tirelessly on her behalf, and to family and friends for their love, prayers and support over the last 12 days. | |
| "We greatly appreciate the restraint shown by the media since her abduction, and ask that they continue to respect our privacy at this special time." | |
| The kidnapping of foreigners has become relatively common in parts of Afghanistan since US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban government in 2001. | |
| British woman Linda Norgrove was killed during a rescue attempt that went wrong in October 2010. | |
| Also in 2010, 10 foreign medical workers, including six Americans, were killed in Badakhshan in an attack blamed on insurgents. Afghan forces have taken over security in the provincial capital, Faizabad, and some other parts of Badakhshan ahead of the withdrawal of western combat forces in 2014. |