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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| German hostage appeals for help | German hostage appeals for help |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A German engineer held hostage by the Taleban has appealed for help in a video broadcast on a private Afghan television channel, reports said. | A German engineer held hostage by the Taleban has appealed for help in a video broadcast on a private Afghan television channel, reports said. |
| Rudolf Blechschmidt was seen lying on a sheet on the ground, clutching his chest and coughing on the video. | |
| He was seized on 18 July in Wardak province in south Afghanistan. | |
| Another German engineer, who was kidnapped with him, died of a heart attack. Last month, the Taleban claimed that they had killed both the hostages. | Another German engineer, who was kidnapped with him, died of a heart attack. Last month, the Taleban claimed that they had killed both the hostages. |
| The Afghan foreign ministry had contested the claims, they said they believed one of the engineers to be alive. | The Afghan foreign ministry had contested the claims, they said they believed one of the engineers to be alive. |
| Call for help | Call for help |
| "I live in the mountains with the Taleban 3,000 metres high and the Taleban try to negotiate with the Afghan government, but the government [will] not talk with the Taleban and the Taleban tried to get in connection with the embassy to release us, but if the time is over they want [to] kill us," news agency Reuters quoted him as saying in the video. | "I live in the mountains with the Taleban 3,000 metres high and the Taleban try to negotiate with the Afghan government, but the government [will] not talk with the Taleban and the Taleban tried to get in connection with the embassy to release us, but if the time is over they want [to] kill us," news agency Reuters quoted him as saying in the video. |
| "We live in the mountains, very high in a very bad condition, please help us," he added. | "We live in the mountains, very high in a very bad condition, please help us," he added. |
| The agency said the video was aired on private Afghan channel Tolo TV and that the hostage spoke in English. | The agency said the video was aired on private Afghan channel Tolo TV and that the hostage spoke in English. |
| Last month, a Taleban spokesman said they had killed the two engineers as Germany had ignored a demand to withdraw its 3,000 troops. | Last month, a Taleban spokesman said they had killed the two engineers as Germany had ignored a demand to withdraw its 3,000 troops. |
| The Germans, whose identity has not been revealed, were seized with six Afghan colleagues on Wednesday in Wardak province where they had been working on a dam project. | The Germans, whose identity has not been revealed, were seized with six Afghan colleagues on Wednesday in Wardak province where they had been working on a dam project. |
| Last month, a Taleban spokesman said they had killed the two engineers as Germany had ignored a demand to withdraw its 3,000 troops. | Last month, a Taleban spokesman said they had killed the two engineers as Germany had ignored a demand to withdraw its 3,000 troops. |