Two years after kidnapping in Pakistan, German aid worker released in Kabul

A German aid worker who was kidnapped in Pakistan more than two years ago has been freed in Afghanistan, the German government and his employer said Friday. The man is now in the care of the German government and is being given medical and psychological care, the Foreign Ministry said. It said that “foreign partners” helped bring about the man’s release, but didn’t elaborate. The ministry wouldn’t give details on when and how the man was freed. German aid group Welthungerhilfe confirmed the release of employee Bernd Muehlenbeck and said in a statement that he is “doing well considering the circumstances.” He will return to Germany in the coming days, it added. Muehlenbeck was kidnapped in the Pakistani city of Multan in January 2012, along with an Italian colleague. Germany’s Bild daily reported, without citing sources, that he was held by the Taliban and that a German special forces team was sent to Kabul to prepare for his release.

The government is very relieved that a German national who was kidnapped more than two years ago in Pakistan has been freed in Afghanistan.

German foreign ministry spokeswoman

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