Times Reporter Escapes Taliban After 7 Months

[kpete]

Source: New York Times

Times Reporter Escapes Taliban After 7 Months

By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: June 20, 2009

David Rohde, a New York Times reporter who was kidnapped by the Taliban, escaped Friday night and made his way to freedom after more than seven months of captivity in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Mr. Rohde, along with a local reporter, Tahir Ludin, and their driver, Asadullah Mangal, was abducted outside Kabul, Afghanistan, on Nov. 10 while he was researching a book.

Mr. Rohde was part of The Times’s reporting team that won a Pulitzer Prize this spring for coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan last year.

Mr. Rohde told his wife, Kristen Mulvihill, that Mr. Ludin joined him in climbing over the wall of a compound where they were being held in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan. They made their way to a nearby Pakistani Frontier Corps base and on Saturday they were flown to the American military base in Bagram, Afghanistan.

“They just walked over the wall of the compound,” Ms. Mulvihill said.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/world/asia/21taliban.html?_r=1&hp

[grantcart]

1. a great ending---look forward to the whole story

[asjr]

2. And the movie.

[Akoto]

3. New York Times reporter David Rohde escapes captivity in Afghanistan

Source: Christian Science Monitor

David Rohde, a New York Times reporter held captive by the Taliban for more than seven months, has escaped by scaling a wall and fleeing the compound where he was being held in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan, the Times announced on June 20.

Mr. Rohde and Tahir Ludin, a local journalist, were abducted along with their driver Asadullah Mangal outside Kabul on November 10, according to the Times. Rohde was working on a book about the American involvement in Afghanistan, and was traveling to what he believed to be a pre-arranged interview with a Taliban commander.

Mr. Ludin escaped along with Rohde, the Times quotes Rohde’s wife Kristen Mulvihill as saying.

The Times kept quiet about the kidnapping, as did other media outlets, in the belief that silence might increase the chances of his safe return. Many references to his work and even his personal life disappeared from the Internet.

Read more: http://features.csmonitor.com/globalnews/2009/06/20/new-york-times-reporter-david-rohde-escapes-captivity-in-afghanistan/

[Cha]

4. Thank Goodness..they were able to make

their escape! Can you imagine..waiting for the chance? And, nothing stopping them outside the compound?!

[paulsby]

5. i got dibs on the movie rights!

seriously, i gua-ran-tee this will end up as a sweet action movie.

"escape from afghanistan"

[Frisbee]

6. That unfortunately...

will bare little if any resemblance to what really happened. But hey, I enjoy a good action flick too!

[Occulus]

10. Not if he retains creative control of the film.

This is the mistake Terry Goodkind made when he sold the rights to his "Sword of Truth" series of books to Disney. When Disney buys the rights to something like that, they buy all the rights, and get editorial and creative control. By the way, Disney then proceeded to completely butcher the story into something totally unrecognizable to fans of the books. It may not see a second season. edit: it DID get renewed, imagine that.

That's what this reporter needs to avoid.

[joshcryer]

11. Meh, Legend of the Seeker is better than the books.

I said it!

[ohio2007]

7. How much was the NY Times told his ransom would be?

I don't doubt he escaped but the Times kept this reporters kidnapping a well guarded secret for the duration.

unlike others stil being held

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=deb_1237498427

[Ex Lurker]

9. it is in fact rumored that ransom was paid

I'm glad the guy is okay, but ransoms are a bad thing for many reasons.

[ohio2007]

13. Seems the rumors are true. NYTimes has this spin on it

Taliban Guards 'Bribed' To Help David Rohde's Daring Escape Plan
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3935968

They didn't PAY a ransome,they paid a BRIBE...

[ellisonz]

8. woot!

[Turborama]

12. Good news, no doubt he'll have a lot of very useful info. K&R

[ohio2007]

14. a lot of "very useful info. " ? I suspect a few won't want to listen what he'll have to say.

What talk show circuits will he hit or book deals be released?

:popcorn:
Or will the NYTimes hold all future right$ ?