Kabul
The Afghan government admitted this week that it traded five Taliban prisoners for the release of an Italian journalist held hostage. “It was an exceptional measure taken because we value our relations and friendship with Italy,” said presidential spokesman Karim Rahimi. Italy, which has 2,000 troops in Afghanistan, has often been suspected of negotiating with terrorists for hostages’ release. The U.S. and U.N. condemned the trade, saying terrorist demands should never be met. The Afghan Independent Journalists Association agreed. “Our concern is that after this kind of exchange the journalists will become a target; there will be more and more kidnappings by Taliban and al Qaida,” said the group’s president, Rahimullah Samander.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Dive right into these 8 underwater adventuresThe Week Recommends It’s time to make a splash
-
The world’s oldest rock art reveals hints about human migrationUnder the Radar The art is believed to be over 67,000 years old
-
Grok in the crosshairs as EU launches deepfake porn probeIN THE SPOTLIGHT The European Union has officially begun investigating Elon Musk’s proprietary AI, as regulators zero in on Grok’s porn problem and its impact continent-wide
