Dutch government says aid worker released in Afghanistan

A Dutch aid worker who was abducted by unidentified gunmen in June in Afghanistan has been freed after being held for 81 days, the Dutch Foreign Ministry has said.

It remains unclear who kidnapped the experienced aid worker, and Koenders didn’t comment on the circumstances of her release.

She said initially her captors told her “you’ll be freed when this (a ransom) has been arranged”.

Although no immediate details were given about De Beer’s release, it is believed to have been the result of weeks of discussions with Afghan authorities, the ministry said.

De Beer has been working in Afghanistan for several years, according to NU. If she had been taken by the Taliban, the kidnapping could have ended very differently, he said, pointing out that five Afghans who worked for Save the Children were kidnapped and murdered in April. She started working for Helvetas a year ago.

De Beer was expected to return to the Netherlands “within the next few days”, Helvetas said on its website. ‘But they could as easily have been a criminal gang, ‘ she said.

She told told Dutch public broadcaster NOS that she had been “treated well” by her abductors.

Asked about going back to war-torn Afghanistan, De Beer added: “I’m not afraid”.