KABUL (Thomson Financial) - A German aid worker abducted in Kabul at the weekend appeared Sunday in a video released by her kidnappers, who demanded the release of 'innocent prisoners' from Afghan jails in exchange for her freedom.
Wearing a long dress and a white headscarf, the woman identified herself as Christina Meier and said she was 'okay,' but appeared nervous in the footage aired by the private Afghan television station Tolo.
'I'm okay, I want my country to try to help secure my freedom as soon as possible,' said the woman, seated cross-legged and reading haltingly in Afghanistan's Dari language, with prompts in English from a man nearby.
The woman was kidnapped in broad daylight in the Afghan capital on Saturday by what officials have said is likely a criminal gang. She displayed an ID card bearing her name and said she worked for the aid charity ORA International.
One of her apparent captors, his face covered, said the kidnappers were not Taliban militants. But he demanded the release of several prisoners from Afghan jails, just as Taliban insurgents holding 19 South Koreans have done.
The abduction of the woman created a third hostage crisis involving foreigners for the Afghan authorities, who were already battling to secure the freedom of the 19 Korean aid workers and a German engineer captured last month.
Another German engineer was shot dead days after his abduction in the southern province of Wardak.
Meanwhile, the Taliban insisted Sunday they would resume direct talks over the South Korean hostages if their demands -- chiefly the release of some of their prisoners -- are met.
The hardline militant group said telephone contacts between the rebels and South Korean negotiators had resumed since Saturday, despite the apparent breakdown of face-to-face talks.
The rebels have murdered two members of the group and threatened to kill others if their demands are not met. Two female hostages were freed amid talks on Aug 13. tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomson.com hjp COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.