Reporter Escapes From Taliban Captors

N.Y. Times' David Rohde's Work Often Put Him In Harm's Way

(CBS)  This isn't the first time David Rohde's reporting put him in harm's way. Fourteen years ago in Bosnia, he was arrested by Serbian troops.

After Rohde broke the story of the massacre of Bosnian Muslims at Srebenica, he sneaked back in country. The Serbs thought Rohde was a spy when they saw him taking pictures of other graves, reports CBS News correspondent Tony Guida.

"Well, for five days, we didn’t know if he was alive or dead," said Clayton Jones, Rohde's former editor at the Christian Science Monitor. "And then when he came out later, we discovered that the Serbs had been driving all over Yugoslavia trying to find a place to develop the slides."

Rohde won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting of Srebenica. He won a second Pulitzer a month ago for his part in the New York Times' coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Rohde was researching a book on the U.S. involvement there, when the Taliban offered him an interview. Instead they kidnapped him and his translator. Rohde was abducted outside Kabul and held for seven months in the mountainous Pakistani region of Waziristan.

"The kidnappers would let him call to sort of demonstrate that he was still alive," said Bill Keller, the executive editor of the New York Times. "And from that we know they were mostly in the mountains, that they moved frequently."

Yesterday, Rohde somehow managed to climb over a wall. He hailed a Pakistani scout, who took him to an army base. From there, Rohde was airlifted to the U.S. airbase at Bagram, Afghanistan.

"That's at this moment where he is," Keller said. "I hope catching up on some sleep, getting a physical, chatting with his wife on the phone."

Rohde was lucky. Since Sept. 11, 32 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"This is probably the most dangerous period in history for journalists," said Joel Simon, the director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. "In Iraq alone, we've counted 139 journalists who've been killed."

Rohde's family says they prayed for him every day and they're enormously relieved that he is safe. None more than his wife Kristen, who said they have been married for nine months, and he's been captivity for seven of them.

[sean58z]

David Rohde is very fortunate. The Criminals might had beheaded him as a prelude to lewd, sexual orgy. They lead a psychotic, euphoric life style. Syndicates of this kind push street dope and kiddie prostitutes. Their Perverts sate themselves with potent narcotics and sexually-abused children. Why do Governments tolerate illicit sales of methamphetamine and Six year-olds for rape? Swat Valley taught the valued lesson. Felons were defeated by superior knowledge of the people and terrain by the National Guard armed with advanced technology and weapons.

[goeswest]

WHPH

I will respectfully disagree with you.I am not a Muslim but do have a Muslim friend and both he and his wife said time and again,that Islam has been hijacked by radical extremeist who use the teaching of the Holy Quaran as an excuse to commit terrorist acts.If you dont believe me go to any Mosque and and talk to the Iman and he will be very pleased to sit down with you and tell you what Islam is truly about.

[sean58z]

Felons in Waziristan can afford to leave a few Captives escape. They traffick euphoric narcotics and lewd sexuality for massive revenue. Islamabad and Kabul should rid this district of desperate Criminals. Throughout the world, illicit drugs and child pornography flood the streets from the Internet and common commercial carriers. Small children are forced into prostitution to sate the craven desires of psychotic Junkies. Barack Obama must send the most sophisticated technology to that region for law enforcement. Syndicates specialize in producing kiddie porn on DVD and web sites. Why allow more suicide vests to explode in support of immoral industry?

[YrSoWrong]

The prisoner escaped?! Mahmoud, you got some 'splainin' to do ...

[WHPH]

Islam is indeed a false religion. What kind of a religion is it that
tells people to blow themselves up ?? The Koran condones hate, and Islam is the religion of hate. Obviously any religion that condones hate is a false religion. Mohammed was a false prophet. What kind of "holy man" is it that would marry a nine year old girl ?? I've
read the Koran, it is powerful religious propaganda and it is easy
to understand how people are taken in by it. But Islam is an inferior religion, inferior to all others. We should tell every Muslim we meet that their religion is false. They have been brain-washed by all that propaganda. They need to hear something different.

[mypatch]

The Koran does not condone hate. It's these radicals that condone hate and use the Koran to kill. Would you change your beliefs if someone tried to tell you that what you believed was all wrong? I don't think so.