Fears mounting for detained British journalist
Fears are mounting today over the safety of British journalist Yvonne Ridley, who was arrested in Afghanistan more than a week ago on suspicion of spying.
The Taliban ordered the release of the Sunday Express reporter yesterday just hours before the US and Britain began air strikes on Afghanistan.
Ms Ridley was due to be handed over at the Pakistani border today but her family said they have received no news of her whereabouts since last night’s bombing began.
Ms Ridley, a 43-year-old mother-of-one, was arrested in the north-eastern city of Jalalabad on September 28 after smuggling herself across the border wearing the traditional Muslim burqa, a shroud which women are obliged to wear to cover their bodies.
She was held in solitary confinement for her first seven days of captivity before being moved to a prison in Kabul.
Yesterday, the Taliban’s leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, ordered her release but Ms Ridley’s father said last night’s attacks were "the news we have been dreading".
