The Taliban said Saturday it had released French journalist Michel Peyrard after nearly a month in detention.
"The French journalist Michel Peyrard was freed Saturday in Afghanistan and is heading for the Torkham crossing with Pakistan," said a Taliban spokesman in the eastern city of Jalalabad quoted by the Afghan Islamic Press news agency (AIP).
"One of the two Pakistani journalists, Irfan Qureshi, has been freed and the second, Mukkaram Khan, will be later," the spokesman was quoted as saying.
The French ambassador to Pakistan left for the Afghanistan border to meet Peyrard.
Diplomatic sources said Peyrard, who was detained in Afghanistan with two Pakistani journalists on October 9, was expected to be handed over to the ambassador, Yannick Gerard, at the Torkham border crossing in North West Frontier Province.
Peyrard and the two Pakistanis were being held in Jalalabad.
When detained, Peyrard was dressed in a burqa, the traditional garment worn by Afghan women in public which covers the body from head to toe.
There was no information on the fate of the two Pakistani journalists, Mohammad Irfan Qureshi and Mukkaram Khan -- AFP
