KABUL, Afghanistan— The International Security Assistance Force wishes to express its deepest sympathies to the family of Sultan M. Munadi. We also convey our condolences to the greater Afghan journalist community of which Munadi was a respected and esteemed member. He will be sorely missed.
Along with another New York Times journalist Stephen Farrell, Munadi was kidnapped by insurgents on Sept. 5. An extensively planned military operation to rescue both Mr. Farrell and Mr. Munadi was conducted by Afghan and ISAF forces in the middle of the night on September 9.
During the operation on the compound where the two hostages were being held, an extensive firefight occurred between the insurgents and the military forces. Early on in the exchange of fire, a British service member was killed in close proximity of the military aircraft he had extracted from. After Farrell was found by our forces, the death of Munadi was confirmed. Under constant fire from the insurgents and to avoid receiving more casualties, the military forces extracted from the site.
Munadi's passing is a sad reminder of the constant dangers faced by the media in Afghanistan. Echoing the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, ISAF calls for insurgents to respect the rights of reporters to accomplish their duties and be treated as neutral parties in any conflict.
Subscribe
