Indian officials: Aid worker kidnapped in Kabul is free

Indian officials: Aid worker kidnapped in Kabul is free

NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian charity worker kidnapped in Kabul last month has been released, a top government official said Saturday.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted that Judith D'Souza was free. She added that D'Souza was expected to be back in India by the evening.

The 40-year-old worker was hired by the Aga Khan Foundation, which provides education and health assistance in about 30 countries. She was abducted June 9.

The foundation has been working in Afghanistan since 2002 on rural development, health, education, sanitation and cultural restoration. D'Souza had been working in Afghanistan for a year.

Her sister Agnes D'Souza told reporters that she was thankful to the government and Swaraj for securing the release and asked that the media respect her family's privacy.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-07-23