British Aid Worker Freed In Somalia

A British contractor kidnapped in Somalia last week has been released.

Regional officials in central Somalia said Frans Barnard was freed late on October 19 some 250 kilometers from the town of Adado where he was abducted.

Barnard was working for British aid group Save the Children when he was abducted.

Regional officials denied reports that a ransom of $100,000 was paid for his release.

Kidnappings for ransom are common in Somalia, which has not had a stable central government since the 1990s.

Most foreign organizations have pulled out of the country, where Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militants control large swaths of territory.

compiled from agency reports

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