Two French Journalists Released By Taliban After 18 Months' Captivity

Image via WikipediaTwo France Television journalists kidnapped in north-eastern Afghanistan by the Taliban in December 2009, have been released, according to France24.com.

Forty-six-year-old journalist Herve Ghesquiere and 47-year-old cameraman Stephane Taponier purportedly were captives of Taliban commander Mullah Beriyal, according to France24. Taponier has covered the Iraq War and several African conflicts, while Ghesquiere worked for Exhibits, a France 3 newsmagazine.

Their 18-month captivity marked the longest detention of French journalists since the Lebanese Civil War in the 1980s.