September 26, 2007
Premier Romano Prodi defended the decision to stage a risky raid to free two Italian intelligence operatives taken hostage in Afghanistan after the condition of one of the men deteriorated Tuesday."We are very worried" about the fate of the operative, Prodi said from New York, speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The intelligence operative has been put on a respirator to help him breathe, Defense Minister Arturo Parisi said in a statement. The man has been in a NATO-run hospital in Afghanistan since being rescued Monday.
The two Italians, who worked for the SISMI intelligence service, disappeared along with their two Afghan colleagues Saturday. They were freed Monday by Italian commandos aided by other NATO forces and aircraft after the kidnappers began to move their hostages.
Italian special forces ambushed the convoy, sparking a gunbattle that killed at least nine of the kidnappers. Both Italians were injured, the other one not seriously.
It is always risky to try to rescue hostages, and as this case shows, the safety of those being rescued is not guaranteed. That is part of what makes kidnapping such a detestable practice, and why it is such a popular asymmetric strategy to use against Western societies. Hopefully the Italians won't let this incident paralyze themselves into inaction or submission to the terrorists.
Related: Injured Italian Hostages Shot By Taliban
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