KABUL: A German-Afghan businessman kidnapped nearly two weeks ago in Kabul was freed early Thursday from captors who had been demanding ransom, Afghanistan s intelligence agency said.

Three men were arrested for abducting the man about 13 days ago outside a wedding hall that he owned, deputy intelligence chief Abdullah Laghmani told reporters.

"We received information yesterday that he is an area outside Kabul. We launched an operation at two o clock and we freed him at four o clock," he said.

The abducted man, named Azizullah, told the same media briefing that his captors had demanded three million dollars for his release and had threatened to cut off his hand and an ear if they did not pay.

Kidnappings by criminal gangs seeking ransom have soared in Afghanistan as security has deteriorated since the 2001 ouster of the Taliban government.
Source : AFP