Eight months after his abduction in Afghanistan, Indian Christian priest Father Alexis Prem Kumar has been released. The announcement of the 47-year-old aid worker's release was made by prime minister Narendra Modi through tweets.
Eight months after his abduction in Afghanistan, Indian Christian priest Father Alexis Prem Kumar has been released. The announcement of the 47-year-old aid worker's release was made by prime minister Narendra Modi through tweets.
What did the PM say?
"Delighted at securing the release of Indian Jesuit priest Father Alexis Prem Kumar from captivity in Afghanistan," he tweeted. "Have spoken to Father Alexis Prem Kumar. Informed happy family of Father Alexis Prem Kumar of his safe return after 8 months in captivity," he added.
When was the priest abducted?
Prem Kumar, who belongs to Devakottai in Sivaganga district in Tamil Nadu, was abducted in Herat province in western Afghanistan by unidentified gunmen on June 2 last year. Four days after the abduction, Afghan authorities had announced that three Taliban members had been arrested in connection with the case.
What was he doing there?
At the time of his abduction, Prem Kumar was working with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), an international NGO, and was engaged in the educational field in Afghanistan. He was its Afghanistan director and had been in the country for over three years. He had accompanied teachers on a visit to a JRS-supported school for returnee refugees in Sohadat village, 25-km from the city of Herat. He was kidnapped from the school as he was about to return to Herat.
What is Kumar's reaction?
Prem Kumar said it was because of the prime minister Modi that he has been able to return to his country. "We do not have words to express our joy. We have been praying for the last eight months for his release. It is a very good moment. Our prayers have been answered," said John Joseph, younger brother of the priest.
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