Thursday, August 23, 2007
On July 18, a German citizen named Rudolf Blechschmidt was kidnapped and taken hostage along with one other German citizen and five Afghans. The Taliban militants took these people over a month ago in central Afghanistan in the Maidan Wardak province. This was only a day before these insurgents in neighboring Ghazni province abducted 23 South Koreans from a bus. On Thursday, Blechschmidt appeared in a video pleading for help but was only shown on an Afghan TV station. In the video, he pleas to his family, friends, and two sons to try their very best to make the German authorities take action on setting himself and the other hostages free. He appeared to be wearing a two-toned gray jacket in a sitting position almost leaning on his right arm while clutching his chest with his free hand. He himself states he is in very bad condition and the heart medication he relies on will run out in only a matter of days.The Taliban has attempted to negotiate with the Afghan government but the government refuses to talk with them. Also, they have tried to connect with the German embassy but have been unsuccessful. Blechschmidt fears time is running out and they will eventually be killed. However, the day after they were abducted Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary promised he would begin an extensive operation to bring the hostages home. Sadly, two days later, Belchschmidt's colleague, 43 year old Ruediger Diedrich was found shot to death. One week ago, two of the hostages, both Korean women, were released. NATO's International Security Assistance Force is doing their best to rid the area of the Taliban, which once ruled Afghanistan before the attack on the United States on September 11, 2001.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/08/23/afghanistan.canada/index.html
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