A British aid worker kidnapped by Taleban-affiliated gunmen has been rescued in a “breathtaking” dawn raid by British special forces on a cave in the remote mountains of Afghanistan.
The troops were helicoptered into the area before making a route march under cover of darkness to the heavily-armed militants’ hideout.
Helen Johnston, 28, Kenyan national Mogarwe Oirere and two Afghan civilians were rescued safely in what David Cameron later lauded as an “extraordinarily brave, breathtaking” operation.
No British troops were injured and a number of Taleban and hostage-takers were killed, the Prime Minister said.
Ms Johnston, Ms Oirere and their Afghan colleagues worked for the Swiss aid organisation Medair and were travelling by donkey to a clinic in a flood-stricken district of Badakhshan province when they were kidnapped at gunpoint on May 22.
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Ms Johnston’s parents, Philip and Patricia, and her brother Peter, thanked her rescuers. “We are delighted and hugely relieved by the wonderful news that Helen and all her colleagues have been freed,” they said.
“We are deeply grateful to everyone involved in her rescue, to those who worked tirelessly on her behalf, and to family and friends for their love, prayers and support over the last twelve days.
“We greatly appreciate the restraint shown by the media since her abduction, and ask that they continue to respect our privacy at this special time.”
The two women were receiving support from British embassy staff in Kabul, while the two Afghan aid workers were returning to their families in Badakhshan, said the Foreign Office.
Mr Cameron spoke to Ms Johnston when she arrived in Kabul, and during the conversation she thanked all those who risked their lives to return her to safety.
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Reports put the ransom at $4 million (£2.6 million) ransom. Abdul Mahroof Rasikh, of the Badakhshan provincial government, said that the kidnappers were “criminals with links to the Taleban” and had demanded not only cash, but the complete closure of all foreign aid agency operations in the area.
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street today, a tired-looking Mr Cameron said that he had authorised the rescue attempt yesterday afternoon after becoming increasingly concerned for the hostages’ safety.
Mr Cameron was told at about 2am that the operation had been a success. He stayed up to speak to the military commanders on the ground and pass on his thanks.
“It was an extraordinarily brave, breath-taking even, operation that our troops had to carry out,” he said. “I pay tribute to their skill and dedication.”
The Prime Minister said the rescue should serve as a warning to terrorists worldwide. “They should know if they take British citizens as hostage we do not pay ransoms, we do not trade prisoners. They can expect a swift and brutal end.”
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He said he had spoken Ms Johnston’s parents and brother and the aid worker herself.
“They are incredibly relieved about what has happened. “It’s just a huge joy that they are finally going to be re-united and they are all healthy and all well.”
Decisions on rescue attempts were “extraordinarily difficult” and “never rushed into”, he said, but the risks to the aid workers’ lives were increasing.
He went on to pay tribute to the British troops involved. “Above all, on this weekend of all weekends, we should say an enormous thank you to the incredibly brave forces that took part in this operation.
“We will never be able to publish their names but the whole country should know we have an extraordinary group of people who work for us who do amazingly brave things.
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“This weekend we’re going to remember and commemorate 60 years of extraordinary work by Her Majesty the Queen and this weekend we can also remember the frankly incredible work that people who serve in her name do on our behalf all the time.”
Cobra, the Government’s emergency committee, is understood to have met daily since the kidnappings. The rescue operation involved British troops backed by forces from Nato’s International Security Assistance Force, with the support of the Afghan government.
Medair staff were “really, really happy” at the group’s rescue. Since the kidnapping the organisation, which has worked in Afghanistan since 1996, had kept a lid on publicity for fear of jeopardising efforts to secure their release.
“Medair is relieved that our colleagues are safe,” said spokesman Aurélien Demaurex. “We are immensely grateful to all parties involved in ensuring their swift and safe return. The staff members are on their way to be reunited with their families.
“Medair would like to thank everyone for their encouragement and support during this very difficult period. We are also very grateful for the overwhelming messages of support from local Afghan communities.”
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The organisation, which is based near Lausanne, provides relief to vulnerable and isolated communities.
Despite recent events, a spokesman said the charity was committed to continuing its work “which relies on us working safely within local communities, wherever they may be”.
A spokesman for Isaf said: “The mission to rescue the hostages was launched in the early hours of today under cover of darkness with the assistance of helicopters. The hostages were being held in a cave in the mountains.”
Operations to rescue hostages are notoriously difficult. A British hostage was killed in Nigeria in March during an attempted rescue involving UK special forces.
Chris McManus, working in the country as a building firm contractor, was killed alongside an Italian colleague as Nigerian troops and commandos from the British Special Boat Service launched a rescue mission.
Mr McManus had been held by terrorists associated with Islamist extremist group Boko Haram since gunmen snatched him from his flat in May last year.
Mr Cameron was criticised when it emerged that Italian authorities were not notified about the covert operation until it was under way.
Linda Norgrove, a Scottish aid worker, died during a mission to rescue her from hostage takers in Afghanistan in October 2010. Ms Norgrove, 36, was killed by a grenade thrown by a US soldier during the operation, although Wiltshire coroner David Ridley did not blame him or his comrades for the tragic mistake. Three Afghans captured with her were released unharmed a few days later.