Daniele Mastrogiacomo
Encyclopedia
Daniele Mastrogiacomo is an Italian
-Swiss
journalist
and a war
correspondent for la Repubblica
newspaper
.
An expert in foreign politics
, he began working for la Repubblica in 1980 and has been a special international reporter since 1992. Mastrogiacomo reported on events such as police operation Mani Pulite
, the Marta Russo murder and the Priebke affair. He has worked in Afghanistan
, Iran
, the Palestinian territories
, Iraq
and Somalia
. In 2006 he reported on the Lebanon war.
by Mullah
Dadullah's men. The events that followed are shown in the documentary "Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi
" and recounted in Mastrogiacomo's book, "Days of fear".
Initially, the Taliban believed Mastrogiacomo was a United Kingdom
officer. When it was discovered that he was an Italian reporter, they demanded that Italy withdraw their troops. After Italy had refused, war surgeon and Emergency
founder Gino Strada
contacted the Taliban in an attempt to free Mastrogiacomo. The Taliban made a video of the Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, his driver Sayed Agha and his colleague Ajmal Naqshbandi, kneeling blindfolded before gun-wielding militants. It then showed Agha being beheaded after which a shaken Mastrogiacomo made an impassioned appeal to Italian authorities to "do something," while underlining that the situation was "very difficult".
The Taliban eventually freed Mastrogiacomo in exchange for the release of five Taliban prisoners (including Dadullah's brother Mullah Shah Mansoor and other Taliban commanders), and he returned to his country on 20 March. His first words were, "I hope the Taliban will never return to the Afghanistan government
."
Ajmal Naqshbandi was not released, and on 8 April 2007 he was beheaded.
On, 12 May 2007 Mullah Dadullah as well as two of the Taliban commanders who were released in exchange for Mastrogiacomo were killed by a US-led action. They included Mullah Hamdullah and Mullah Ghafar.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
-Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and a war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
correspondent for la Repubblica
La Repubblica
la Repubblica is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. Founded in 1976 in Rome by the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, as of 2008 is the second largest circulation newspaper, behind the Corriere della Sera.-Foundation:...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
.
An expert in foreign politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, he began working for la Repubblica in 1980 and has been a special international reporter since 1992. Mastrogiacomo reported on events such as police operation Mani Pulite
Mani pulite
Mani pulite was a nationwide Italian judicial investigation into political corruption held in the 1990s. Mani pulite led to the demise of the so-called First Republic, resulting in the disappearance of many parties. Some politicians and industry leaders committed suicide after their crimes were...
, the Marta Russo murder and the Priebke affair. He has worked in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. In 2006 he reported on the Lebanon war.
Kidnapping
On 5 March 2007, Mastrogiacomo along with Afghan journalist, Ajmal Naqshbandi, and an Afghan driver, Sayed Agha, was on his way to Taliban controlled southern Afghanistan after being promised an interview with a Taliban commander. They were kidnappedKidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
by Mullah
Mullah
Mullah is generally used to refer to a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. The title, given to some Islamic clergy, is derived from the Arabic word مَوْلَى mawlā , meaning "vicar", "master" and "guardian"...
Dadullah's men. The events that followed are shown in the documentary "Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi
Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi
Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi is a documentary by Ian Olds that shows the kidnapping of Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo and interpreter Ajmal Naqshbandi and the events leading to the release of the former and the murder of the latter by the Taliban...
" and recounted in Mastrogiacomo's book, "Days of fear".
Initially, the Taliban believed Mastrogiacomo was a United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
officer. When it was discovered that he was an Italian reporter, they demanded that Italy withdraw their troops. After Italy had refused, war surgeon and Emergency
Emergency (NGO)
Emergency is a humanitarian NGO that provides emergency medical treatment to civilian victims of war, especially in relation to landmines. It was founded by war surgeon Gino Strada in 1994 in Milan ....
founder Gino Strada
Gino Strada
Gino Strada is an Italian war surgeon and founder of the UN-recognized Italian NGO Emergency. Emergency has operated in thirteen war-torn countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, and the Central African Republic.- Biography :Dr...
contacted the Taliban in an attempt to free Mastrogiacomo. The Taliban made a video of the Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, his driver Sayed Agha and his colleague Ajmal Naqshbandi, kneeling blindfolded before gun-wielding militants. It then showed Agha being beheaded after which a shaken Mastrogiacomo made an impassioned appeal to Italian authorities to "do something," while underlining that the situation was "very difficult".
The Taliban eventually freed Mastrogiacomo in exchange for the release of five Taliban prisoners (including Dadullah's brother Mullah Shah Mansoor and other Taliban commanders), and he returned to his country on 20 March. His first words were, "I hope the Taliban will never return to the Afghanistan government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
."
Ajmal Naqshbandi was not released, and on 8 April 2007 he was beheaded.
On, 12 May 2007 Mullah Dadullah as well as two of the Taliban commanders who were released in exchange for Mastrogiacomo were killed by a US-led action. They included Mullah Hamdullah and Mullah Ghafar.
External links
- The video produced by the Taliban and trasmitted by Tg Uno
- Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi - video report by Democracy Now!