New details have emerged of how two western hostages in Afghanistan were freed in exchange for a hefty ransom paid in Pakistan and the release of two brothers from a mafia-style Taliban-linked group.
French journalists Herve Ghesquiere and Stephane Taponier, whose 18-month ordeal made them the longest-held western hostages in Afghanistan, were released in a painstakingly brokered deal, say experts and Taliban sources.
The French government denied paying any ransom, but experts say cash for hostages is routine policy in Europe and interpret the public remarks merely as an attempt to discourage future hostage taking.
Islamist insurgents never publicly admit to taking cash for hostages, which could alienate their sympathisers and harm their propaganda campaign.
The Taliban announced from their fiefdom in southern Afghanistan that there was a prisoner swap for reporter Ghesquiere and cameraman Taponier, but sources close to the case say it was only ever about the money.
“A ransom was paid – an enormous amount – millions of dollars. The money was handed over in Pakistan,” a Taliban member close to central command told AFP on condition of anonymity.
One source close to the Taliban told AFP that the money was handed over in the infamous Karkhano smugglers market on the edge of Peshawar.
The kidnappers were identified as loyalists of Qari Baryal, one of the main Taliban leaders in Kapisa province where the Frenchmen were kidnapped on December 30, 2009, and also seen as close to criminals.
“The Qari Baryal group is very organised and has a good reputation among the Taliban, but sometimes they go against their ideals, such as taking hostages for ransom,” the Taliban member said. Afghanistan’s former deputy interior minister General Abdul Hadi Khalid said criminal groups gravitated around Baryal.
A western expert went further, describing the network as “pure mafia” when talking to AFP on condition of anonymity.
“If you take into account the profile of these ‘Taliban’, it clearly wasn’t a political release and it is highly likely that the ransom was several millions of dollars,” the expert said.
Ghesquiere himself told the BBC that he believed that a deal involving money and prisoners secured his release.
In Paris, an official who dealt with the crisis sought to play down talk of a multi-million dollar ransom, but said “apparently hundreds of thousands of euros rather than millions” had exchanged hands.