Commandos rescue 2 Italian agents in Afghanistan
At least nine captors killed in daring ambush
KABUL, Afghanistan - Italian commandos, aided by other NATO forces and aircraft, rescued two kidnapped Italian intelligence operatives yesterday in a daring ambush and gun battle that left at least nine of the captors dead in western Afghanistan.
Although both freed Italians were wounded - one of them seriously - Prime Minister Romano Prodi of Italy said the operation was a success and could put a dent in Afghanistan's rising kidnapping industry.
Violence elsewhere in Afghanistan killed at least 31 people. Among the dead were two NATO soldiers serving with Spain's contingent and an Iranian serving as their interpreter - all killed in a land mine explosion, the Spanish defense minister said. Three were seriously wounded.
The two Italians, who were described by Defense Minister Arturo Parisi in Rome as working for the Sismi intelligence service, disappeared along with their two Afghan colleagues Saturday. They were last seen at a police checkpoint in western Herat province.
Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema of Italy said the fact that the two were intelligence agents posed an "imminent danger," which required the rescue.
Parisi told parliament that Italian forces were aided in the rescue by British, German, and US forces, which were monitoring the movements of the kidnappers with a Predator drone aircraft and helicopters.
NATO "very quickly" began receiving intelligence reports on the Italians' location, enabling forces to launch the rescue mission, added French Brigadier General Vincent Lafontaine, chief of planning for the 40,000 alliance troops in Afghanistan.
"There is a sort of window of opportunity if you achieve reliable intelligence," Lafontaine said. "It's a success story because it was very quickly solved."
The decision to launch the operation was made after coalition forces determined the kidnappers had started heading south from Farah yesterday morning in two cars, Parisi said.
Italian special forces ambushed the convoy in neighboring Farah Province, sparking a gun battle that killed at least nine of the kidnappers.
One of the Italians was seriously wounded, and doctors were evaluating whether to operate, Parisi said. The other had broken his shoulder and left collarbone, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Both had been beaten by their captors, said Afghan Gen. Jalandar Shah.
Major Charles Anthony, a spokesman for the NATO force here, said it was not clear if the two Italians were wounded by gunfire from their rescuers or their kidnappers.
The Italians' Afghan translator was also wounded, and another Afghan, apparently their driver, was killed, Parisi said. Anthony hinted the driver might have helped in the kidnappings.
The rescue operation "was a heavy defeat for the kidnappers and therefore a warning for the future," Prodi said in New York, where he is attending the UN General Assembly.
"We did not have one moment of hesitation in giving the mandate to those who were in the field to act with the utmost determination," Prodi said.
Lafontaine said the operation sends a message to potential hostage takers.
A Taliban spokesman said its militants were not responsible. 