Abducted Oz aid worker freed in Afghanistan

Afghan special forces have rescued an Australian aid worker, who was kidnapped at gunpoint in the country four months ago, officials said on Monday. Kerry Jane Wilson, said to be aged around 60, is "safe and well", Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said, without disclosing when she was released or who was behind her abduction.

Unidentified masked gunmen had kidnapped Wilson from Jalalabad, near Pakistan border, in late April when she was visiting the city for a women’s embroidery project.

"I confirm that Kerry Jane Wilson, who was abducted in Afghanistan in April this year, has been released, and she is now safe and well," Bishop said in a statement, without saying whether she was still in Afghanistan. The minister, who has previously said that Australia does not pay ransom for kidnappers, voiced relief for Wilson and her family but did not provide details of how she was freed.

Afghanistan's main intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), said Wilson was released in a "special operation", without offering details. "As a result of our efforts, she has been safely released. Several suspects have been detained," it said.