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Gabriele Torsello

May 07, 2024

Gabriele Torsello (also known as "Kash"; born 12 August 1970) is an Italian freelance journalist and photojournalist based in London who was abducted in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on 12 October 2006. Kosovar businessman Behgjet Pacolli played a major role in negotiating Torsello's release on 3 November 2006.[1] Torsello is a Muslim convert, and author of The Heart of Kashmir.[2][3]

Kidnapping edit

Torsello was abducted in Helmand on 12 October 2006 and released on 3 November 2006. He was traveling on a bus from Helmand to Kandahar in southern Afghanistan when he was seized. His translator Ghulam Mohammad was left unharmed.[4]

His captors moved him into a different location: "They arrived and opened the door. One of them grabbed me and took me out without letting me put my shoes on and without blindfolding me, a thing that they always did. He pushed me hard. I had the chains - I couldn't follow him and I had to jump to be able to follow him. I thought they were going to kill me. But they put me in a car instead."[5] He was kept in chains in a windowless room during his captivity, living on a diet of potatoes and Afghan bread dipped in a watery soup.

According to the BBC and consolidated international press reports on a National Union of Journalists Photographers’ blog, Torsello made a telephone call on 12 October 2006 to the director of the hospital in Lashkar Gah confirming that he had been kidnapped and did not know where he was being held.[6] He asked the director to explain to the kidnappers that he was a genuine photo reporter and not a spy. The phone call was eventually cut off, but he was able on a few occasions later to contact the Italian organisation Emergency who ran the hospital.

A press release from Reporters Without Borders quoted Mullah Dadullah, a Taliban military chieftain, who threatened on 4 September 2006 to kill journalists who published news put out by the NATO forces in Afghanistan, as saying "We have an Islamic right to kill such reporters."[7] However, a later report quotes a Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, telling the Afghan news agency Pajhwok that the kidnappers should "free their hostage because it is not fair to hit at Italy by killing an innocent journalist." He added that "the kidnappers are just bandits interested in money." Reporters Without Borders suggest that their original demands might have been just a way of introducing a ransom request.[8] It is possible that the Taliban issue statements such as this to make kidnappings appear to be political rather than an exercise in revenue generation. To confuse the position, the captors are reported to have contacted Emergency and asked, in exchange for freeing Torsello, for the return to Afghanistan of Abdul Rahman, the Afghan citizen who converted to Christianity and who escaped to Italy after he was sentenced to death in March 2006. Furthermore, the Italian press agency AGI on 20 October 2006, quoted Torsello as saying, under duress, "The kidnappers frequently tell me that I am a spy and that British troops bombed Musa Qala and Nawzad districts on my intelligence", but that the abductors, contrary to their previous remarks, distanced themselves from the Taliban and said they were just Muslims fighting foreign occupation in the war-battered country.[9]

On 2 November 2006, 18:00 CET, Italian intelligence agency SISMI – who attempted to negotiate Torsello's release – asked Gigi Moncalvo to make contact with Behgjet Pacolli, an expert in negotiating hostage-taking situations.[1] Throughout the following night, Pacolli began negotiating Torsello's release with an Afghan contact person whom he had already negotiated with in a previous hostage-taking situation in 2004. Eventually, Torsello was released the following day around 10:00 CET near Kandahar.[10] According to Swiss news site tio.ch, Pacolli had to do the terrorists a "non-financial favour“ in return for Torsello's release.[11] Staff from the Emergency aid agency found Torsello on the road a short time later.[12][13] According to the BBC, a substantial ransom is reported to have been paid to release Torsello, and the governments of Afghanistan and Italy have been criticised for the way they dealt with the Taliban in securing his release and that of other such hostages.[14]

The head of Emergency, Gino Strada, is quoted as saying that the Italian government entrusted US$2 million to Rahmatullah Hanefi, the Afghan director of their hospital in Helmand, to secure the release of Torsello.[citation needed] In a separate hostage negotiation on April 7 for the release of Daniele Mastrogiacomo, the Italian la Repubblica foreign correspondent, and his interpreter and driver, Hanefi was arrested and put in jail in Kabul by Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s government, alleging that Hanefi had played a part in the capture of Mastrogiacomo by the Taliban.[15] Italy's deputy foreign affairs minister, Ugo Intini, confirmed that the Afghan government released five Taliban prisoners to win the freedom of Mastrogiacomo.[16]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Dejan Lukić: Hostage Spaces of the Contemporary Islamic World: Phantom Territoriality, Bloomsbury, London New Delhi New York Sydney 2013, ISBN 978-1-441-6035-5, p. 115
  2. ^ . Asia Times. 2004-01-24. Archived from the original on 2004-04-05. Retrieved 2008-02-27.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "The Heart of Kashmir". New Internationalist. 2003-08-01. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
  4. ^ . Archived from the original on 2009-10-08. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  5. ^ "Italian released in Afghanistan". BBC News. 3 November 2006.
  6. ^ ‘Reporter abducted in Afghanistan’, bbc.co.uk, 15 Oct 06
  7. ^ ‘Gabriele Torsello makes contact to report he is well but reasons for kidnapping still unclear’, Reporters Without Borders/Reporters Sans Frontiers, 17 Oct 06 [1] 2007-10-30 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ ‘Kidnappers say Italian photographer still in good health’, Reporters Without Borders/Reporters Sans Frontiers, 25 Oct 06 [2] 2008-11-22 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ . Archived from the original on 2008-07-09. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  10. ^ Si è conclusa la prigionia per Torsello, in Giornale del Popolo, No. 254/2006, 4 November 2006, p. 18
  11. ^ Rapimento Torsello: anche Pacolli fra i protagonisti della liberazione, in tio.ch, 3 November 2006, retrieved 25 March 2022
  12. ^ ‘Italian released in Afghanistan’, bbc.co.uk, 3 Nov 06
  13. ^ ‘Photojournalist and EPUK member "Kash" Torsello released by kidnappers’, Editorial Photographers UK & Ireland [3] 2007-02-25 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ ‘Tracking the Taleban's kidnap tactics’, bbc.co.uk, 31 Jul 07
  15. ^ Peter Popham, ‘Italy condemned over Afghan beheading’, The Independent, 10 Apr 07 [4][dead link]
  16. ^ ‘5 Taliban prisoners swapped for journalist’, Associated Press report 21 Mar 07 at NBC News.msn.com [5]

External links edit

  • Muslim Council of Britain, 4 February 2004 :
  • MCB Feature Item, 5 May 2004 :
  • BBC News, 15 October 2006 : "Reporter Abducted in Afghanistan"
  • EPUK, 26 October 2006 : "Call for Torsello Release"
  • NPPA, 1 November 2006 :
  • Peace Reporter, 3 November 2006 : "Gabriele Torsello is Free"
  • EPUK, 3 November 2006 : "Afghan Kidnappers Release Photojournalist" 2007-02-25 at the Wayback Machine
  • Interview with Torsello 2011, by Accademia Apulia UK : "

May 07, 2024
gabriele, torsello, also, known, kash, born, august, 1970, italian, freelance, journalist, photojournalist, based, london, abducted, helmand, province, afghanistan, october, 2006, kosovar, businessman, behgjet, pacolli, played, major, role, negotiating, torsel. Gabriele Torsello also known as Kash born 12 August 1970 is an Italian freelance journalist and photojournalist based in London who was abducted in Helmand Province Afghanistan on 12 October 2006 Kosovar businessman Behgjet Pacolli played a major role in negotiating Torsello s release on 3 November 2006 1 Torsello is a Muslim convert and author of The Heart of Kashmir 2 3 Contents 1 Kidnapping 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksKidnapping editTorsello was abducted in Helmand on 12 October 2006 and released on 3 November 2006 He was traveling on a bus from Helmand to Kandahar in southern Afghanistan when he was seized His translator Ghulam Mohammad was left unharmed 4 His captors moved him into a different location They arrived and opened the door One of them grabbed me and took me out without letting me put my shoes on and without blindfolding me a thing that they always did He pushed me hard I had the chains I couldn t follow him and I had to jump to be able to follow him I thought they were going to kill me But they put me in a car instead 5 He was kept in chains in a windowless room during his captivity living on a diet of potatoes and Afghan bread dipped in a watery soup According to the BBC and consolidated international press reports on a National Union of Journalists Photographers blog Torsello made a telephone call on 12 October 2006 to the director of the hospital in Lashkar Gah confirming that he had been kidnapped and did not know where he was being held 6 He asked the director to explain to the kidnappers that he was a genuine photo reporter and not a spy The phone call was eventually cut off but he was able on a few occasions later to contact the Italian organisation Emergency who ran the hospital A press release from Reporters Without Borders quoted Mullah Dadullah a Taliban military chieftain who threatened on 4 September 2006 to kill journalists who published news put out by the NATO forces in Afghanistan as saying We have an Islamic right to kill such reporters 7 However a later report quotes a Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi telling the Afghan news agency Pajhwok that the kidnappers should free their hostage because it is not fair to hit at Italy by killing an innocent journalist He added that the kidnappers are just bandits interested in money Reporters Without Borders suggest that their original demands might have been just a way of introducing a ransom request 8 It is possible that the Taliban issue statements such as this to make kidnappings appear to be political rather than an exercise in revenue generation To confuse the position the captors are reported to have contacted Emergency and asked in exchange for freeing Torsello for the return to Afghanistan of Abdul Rahman the Afghan citizen who converted to Christianity and who escaped to Italy after he was sentenced to death in March 2006 Furthermore the Italian press agency AGI on 20 October 2006 quoted Torsello as saying under duress The kidnappers frequently tell me that I am a spy and that British troops bombed Musa Qala and Nawzad districts on my intelligence but that the abductors contrary to their previous remarks distanced themselves from the Taliban and said they were just Muslims fighting foreign occupation in the war battered country 9 On 2 November 2006 18 00 CET Italian intelligence agency SISMI who attempted to negotiate Torsello s release asked Gigi Moncalvo to make contact with Behgjet Pacolli an expert in negotiating hostage taking situations 1 Throughout the following night Pacolli began negotiating Torsello s release with an Afghan contact person whom he had already negotiated with in a previous hostage taking situation in 2004 Eventually Torsello was released the following day around 10 00 CET near Kandahar 10 According to Swiss news site tio ch Pacolli had to do the terrorists a non financial favour in return for Torsello s release 11 Staff from the Emergency aid agency found Torsello on the road a short time later 12 13 According to the BBC a substantial ransom is reported to have been paid to release Torsello and the governments of Afghanistan and Italy have been criticised for the way they dealt with the Taliban in securing his release and that of other such hostages 14 The head of Emergency Gino Strada is quoted as saying that the Italian government entrusted US 2 million to Rahmatullah Hanefi the Afghan director of their hospital in Helmand to secure the release of Torsello citation needed In a separate hostage negotiation on April 7 for the release of Daniele Mastrogiacomo the Italian la Repubblica foreign correspondent and his interpreter and driver Hanefi was arrested and put in jail in Kabul by Afghan President Hamid Karzai s government alleging that Hanefi had played a part in the capture of Mastrogiacomo by the Taliban 15 Italy s deputy foreign affairs minister Ugo Intini confirmed that the Afghan government released five Taliban prisoners to win the freedom of Mastrogiacomo 16 See also editList of kidnappings List of solved missing person casesReferences edit a b Dejan Lukic Hostage Spaces of the Contemporary Islamic World Phantom Territoriality Bloomsbury London New Delhi New York Sydney 2013 ISBN 978 1 441 6035 5 p 115 A story in black and white Asia Times 2004 01 24 Archived from the original on 2004 04 05 Retrieved 2008 02 27 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint unfit URL link The Heart of Kashmir New Internationalist 2003 08 01 Retrieved 2008 02 27 Gunmen Say They Will Kill Photojournalist Monday Unless Demands Met Archived from the original on 2009 10 08 Retrieved 2009 07 27 Italian released in Afghanistan BBC News 3 November 2006 Reporter abducted in Afghanistan bbc co uk 15 Oct 06 Gabriele Torsello makes contact to report he is well but reasons for kidnapping still unclear Reporters Without Borders Reporters Sans Frontiers 17 Oct 06 1 Archived 2007 10 30 at the Wayback Machine Kidnappers say Italian photographer still in good health Reporters Without Borders Reporters Sans Frontiers 25 Oct 06 2 Archived 2008 11 22 at the Wayback Machine The Kash GT noticeboard National Union of Journalists Photographers Archived from the original on 2008 07 09 Retrieved 2010 01 27 Si e conclusa la prigionia per Torsello in Giornale del Popolo No 254 2006 4 November 2006 p 18 Rapimento Torsello anche Pacolli fra i protagonisti della liberazione in tio ch 3 November 2006 retrieved 25 March 2022 Italian released in Afghanistan bbc co uk 3 Nov 06 Photojournalist and EPUK member Kash Torsello released by kidnappers Editorial Photographers UK amp Ireland 3 Archived 2007 02 25 at the Wayback Machine Tracking the Taleban s kidnap tactics bbc co uk 31 Jul 07 Peter Popham Italy condemned over Afghan beheading The Independent 10 Apr 07 4 dead link 5 Taliban prisoners swapped for journalist Associated Press report 21 Mar 07 at NBC News msn com 5 External links editThe Kash Notice Board daily updates and messages of goodwill Reporters without Borders Free Gabriele Torsello Petition Muslim Council of Britain 4 February 2004 The Heart of Kashmir MCB Feature Item 5 May 2004 Interview with Kash Gabriele Torsello Reflections on Kashmir the forgotten people BBC News 15 October 2006 Reporter Abducted in Afghanistan EPUK 26 October 2006 Call for Torsello Release NPPA 1 November 2006 Negotiations Continue Peace Reporter 3 November 2006 Gabriele Torsello is Free EPUK 3 November 2006 Afghan Kidnappers Release Photojournalist Archived 2007 02 25 at the Wayback Machine Interview with Torsello 2011 by Accademia Apulia UK Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gabriele Torsello amp oldid 1160349187, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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