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| Africa North |
| Al-Qaeda releases Italian couple in Mali |
| 2010-04-19 |
| [Maghrebia] Al-Qaeda on Friday (April 16th) released two Italian hostages held for months in northern Mali, international press reported. Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure met Sergio Cicala, 65, and his Burkina Faso-born wife Philomene Kabore, 39, in Bamako on Saturday, AFP reported. According to an official source from the presidency, no ransom was paid for the couple's release. "We got tribal leaders in the north to intervene, and they played an important role," AFP quoted the source as saying. The Italians were kidnapped in eastern Mauritania on December 18th and handed over to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) terrorists in Mali. In related news, Mauritania charged a Malian national with attempted kidnapping of foreign nationals and collaboration with AQIM. The suspect, arrested by Mauritanian troops two weeks ago, allegedly provided logistical support to AQIM Sahara-region leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar. |
| Posted by:Fred |