Location of Helmand Province within Afganistan where Daniele Mastrogiacomo was taken hostage. Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo who was held hostage for 15 days, was traded for five Taliban prisoners, as confirmed by Italian and Afgani authorities. The move received sharp criticism from allies of Italy. In Washington, a senior State Department official said the United States was pleased the journalist had been released unharmed, but was troubled by possible ramifications of the swap. A spokesperson at the British Foreign Office said the deal sent "the wrong signal to prospective hostage-takers". Maxime Verhagen, Foreign Minister of the Netherlands spoke against the swap, "When we create situations where you can buy the freedom of Taliban fighters when you catch a journalist, in the short term there will be no journalists anymore." The international backlash is the latest headache for Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi , who has fought hard to keep troops in Afghanistan despite resistance from pacifists within his centre-left coalition. Prodi briefly resigned last month after a defeat in the Senate over his foreign policy, including Afghanistan, and needs the Senate next week to approve a refinancing of the mission. An opinion poll published by Mastrogiacomo's newspaper, La Repubblica , showed that 51 percent of Italians surveyed supported the exchange, while 41 percent opposed it.
Location of Helmand Province within Afghanistan where Daniele Mastrogiacomo was taken hostage. Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo who was held hostage for 15 days, was traded for five Taliban prisoners, as confirmed by Italian and Afgani authorities. The move received sharp criticism from allies of Italy. In Washington, a senior State Department official said the United States was pleased the journalist had been released unharmed, but was troubled by possible ramifications of the swap. A spokesperson at the said the deal sent "the wrong signal to prospective hostage-takers". , spoke against the swap, "When we create situations where you can buy the freedom of Taliban fighters when you catch a journalist, in the short term there will be no journalists anymore." The international backlash is the latest headache for Italian Prime Minister , who has fought hard to keep troops in Afghanistan despite resistance from within his centre-left coalition. Prodi briefly resigned last month after a defeat in the over his foreign policy, including Afghanistan, and needs the Senate next week to approve a refinancing of the mission. An opinion poll published by Mastrogiacomo's newspaper, , showed that 51 percent of Italians surveyed supported the exchange, while 41 percent opposed it.
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Afganistan
Afghanistan
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British Foreign Office
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Maxime Verhagen, Foreign Minister of the Netherlands
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Romano Prodi
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pacifists
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Senate
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La Repubblica