A German aid worker who was kidnapped six weeks ago in northern Afghanistan was freed in a police operation early Friday morning, officials said.
The spokesman for the governor of Kunduz province, Abdul Wadood Wahidi, said the German was rescued by local security forces at around 2 a.m. in the Charhar Dara district.
Wahidi said the man, whose name has not been released, has been transferred to the German consulate in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, where Germany also maintains a military base.
Sawar Husseini, spokesman for the Kunduz provincial police chief, said the man was rescued by police, who had surrounded a house where he was being held. He said the German was in good health.
"No one was arrested as anyone else in the house escaped," Hussein said.
German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Sawsan Chebli confirmed the man was freed last night and was in good condition. She declined to comment on whether any ransom was paid, saying only that "the German government will not allow itself to be blackmailed."
The freed man works for the German development agency, GIZ, and is believed to have disappeared while driving across the province from Kunduz to Mazar-i-Sharif, possibly alone, in April.
"We are relieved about the news and we would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this good outcome", said Tanja Gonner, Chair of the Management Board at GIZ.
The kidnapping took place in an area called Ali Abad, which is known as a hotbed of insurgent activity.
Northern Afghanistan has become increasingly dangerous since the Taliban launched their annual warm-weather offensive in late April. The insurgents came close to overrunning the northern city of Kunduz after a massive assault that shocked Afghan security forces, who have since then managed to push the militants back.
Germany has had a security and development presence in northern Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion drove the Taliban from power.
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Associated Press writer David Rising in Berlin contributed to this report.
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