Turkish engineer held in Afghanistan freed
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan --A Turkish engineer kidnapped more than three months ago was freed Saturday, Afghan officials and a spokesman for the rebels said.
Tribal leaders turned over Salih Aksoy to government officials in Qalat, 220 miles southwest of the capital Kabul, said Haji Ghayasuddin, a member of the Qalat shura, or tribal council.
Aksoy was believed to have been kidnapped by suspected Taliban insurgents. Abdul Hakim Latifi, who claims to speak for the Taliban, said the engineer had been freed because "he is a Muslim" and that no ransom was paid.
A senior Afghan official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the man was in government custody. He declined to give details.
Armed men abducted Aksoy on March 5 after a shootout on the main Kabul-Kandahar highway that killed another Turkish engineer and an Afghan guard. Both men were working on a U.S.-funded project to repave the highway.
"We didn't have any demands," Latifi said. He said Aksoy was in good health.
Workers on reconstruction projects have suffered several attacks in Afghanistan. Earlier this month, 11 Chinese road contractors were gunned down as they slept in northern Kunduz province.
Zabul, a restive province near the Pakistani border where the government has minimal control, is considered a Taliban stronghold. 