Headlines
Indian freed by Taliban after 8 months, PM 'delighted'
New Delhi, Feb 22
More than eight months after
he was kidnapped, Indian national Father Alexis Premkumar Antonysamy
has been released by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi Sunday expressed happiness at the release and spoke to Father
Alexis.
The external affairs ministry said 47-year-old Alexis,
who was kidnapped June 2, 2014 from Herat province in western
Afghanistan by terrorist elements, has been released.
At the time
of his abduction, Alexis was working with the Jesuit Refugee Service,
an international NGO, doing work in the educational field in
Afghanistan.
The matter of his release was pursued by India,
"including at the highest levels by the prime minister", the ministry
spokesperson said in a statement.
"We express our deep gratitude
to all those who worked tirelessly over the last eight months to help in
this humanitarian task of ensuring the safe release of one of our
citizens."
"Father Alexis Premkumar is now back in the safety of
his homeland and arrangements are being made for him to rejoin his
family soon," he said.
Prime Minister Modi tweeted: "Delighted at
securing the release of Indian Jesuit priest Father Alexis Prem Kumar
from captivity in Afghanistan. Have spoken to Father Alexis Prem Kumar.
Informed happy family of Father Alexis Prem Kumar of his safe return
after 8 months in captivity."
In June 2014, after the kidnapping,
then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa had written to Modi
seeking his intervention in securing the release of Alexis, who hails
from the state.
Modi had assured that the "government will spare no effort" to ensure the early release of the priest.
Alexis
was Afghanistan director of the Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS), an
educational charity, and was living in the war-torn country for over
three years.
He had accompanied a teacher on a visit to a school near Herat when he was kidnapped.
His
abduction took place 10 days after an attack on the Indian consulate in
Herat by four heavily armed gunmen carrying rocket-propelled grenades
and machine gu