Ex-Hostage Speaks Out
October 30, 2007
The German engineer has revealed that he is positive his captors were radical Islamic Taliban members, and not opportunist crooks looking for a ransom as the German government has reported.
Reports in the German media Monday, Oct. 20, quoted the 62-year-old Blechschmidt as saying that he was convinced hard-line Taliban were responsible for kidnapping him along with his colleague Rüdiger D. and the five Afghans who were accompanying them when they were taken hostage on July 18. Blechschmidt's colleague was later found dead from gunshot wounds.
Ex-hostage sure captors were not criminal gang
Germany's foreign ministry had previously announced that the captors were more likely to be a criminal group with sympathies to the Taliban rather than hardcore Islamists with an ideological motivation.
The ministry refused to make detailed comments on Blechschmidt's reported statement but said through a spokesperson that the kidnapping case would continue to be assessed by the federal crisis squad responsible for the investigation.
Blechschmidt and his companions had gone to the central Afghan province of Maidan Wardak to repair a wall at the Band-i-Sultan dam. The group was captured by militants 10 minutes after their arrival despite having a police escort.
Afghan police accused of complicity
Allegations that the police had been in contact with the kidnappers prior to the engineers' arrival have been made by a number of the group taken that day.
Three days into their ordeal, Rüdiger D., who apparently struggled to keep up with the rest of the group, was shot dead by one of the kidnappers, who one of the freed Afghan hostages later described as a Pakistani.
During their three months in captivity, the hostages were often moved around, never spending more than a few nights in one place. Despite being clothed in summer attire, the hostages were forced to walk across mountain ranges as temperatures plunged.
According to the Wardak province authorities, Blechschmidt and the Afghans with him were released in return for the release from prison of six Taliban members in a deal struck by the German government.