A United Nations spokesman said on Sunday he hoped investigators would "leave no stone unturned" in trying to find an Italian photojournalist and his translator kidnapped in Afghanistan.
Gabriele Torsello, a freelance photographer, and his Afghan translator were abducted by five armed men on Saturday as they were driving from Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern Helmand province, toward neighbouring Kandahar.
Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, who claims to speak for the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, denied that militants had abducted the Italian photojournalist. He admited that Torsello had spent some time with Taliban fighters in Musa Qala.
Aleem Seddique, a UN spokesman in Kabul, said they are watching the situation closely:
 "We hope that the authorities will leave no stone unturned in trying to investigate this matter and ensure the safe return of this photojournalist. We are monitoring the situation very closely, and we look forward to hearing some positive news in the near future."
A week ago, two German journalists were killed in northern Afghanistan - the first foreign journalists murdered in the country since late 2001.
The southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar have been the scene of some the most intense fighting between Taliban and NATO troops this year. It's the worst upsurge in violence in the country since the US-led invasion in 2001 that ousted the Taliban regime from power.
|
Director: Liu Chi