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Indian Aid Worker Abducted in Kabul Released


Agnes D'Souza, sister of Judith D'Souza who was kidnapped in Afghanistan, talks to journalists from behind the front gate of their apartment in Kolkata, India, Friday, June 10, 2016. The 40-year-old worker was hired by the Aga Khan Foundation
Agnes D'Souza, sister of Judith D'Souza who was kidnapped in Afghanistan, talks to journalists from behind the front gate of their apartment in Kolkata, India, Friday, June 10, 2016. The 40-year-old worker was hired by the Aga Khan Foundation

An Indian aid worker abducted in Afghanistan last month has been released, India's minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj said Saturday.

"I am happy to inform you that Judith D'Souza has been rescued," Swaraj tweeted on her official account.

Further details of how D'Souza was rescued were not released, but Swaraj said India's ambassador to Afghanistan, Manpreet Vohra, was accompanying D'Souza and they were expected to arrive in Delhi later in the day.

Judith D'Souza, 40, was abducted on June 9 from a central Kabul area while she was working for the Aga Khan Foundation. The Foundation, part of the Aga Khan Development Network, has channeled hundreds of millions of dollars into Afghan reconstruction projects.

D'Souza's relatives in Kolkata thanked the government for finding her and have asked for privacy.

Following D'Souza's capture, police in Kabul reportedly told foreigners living outside protected compounds to travel with guards, saying “the kidnapping and criminal threat is very serious” in the capital city.

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