According to Reuters, Olivier David Och, 31, and Daniela Widmer, 29, a Swiss couple who were kidnapped by the Taliban in Pakistan's southwestern province of Baluchistan in July 2011, have reportedly escaped from their captors. Och and Widmer were found walking on a main road in northwestern Pakistan earlier today (March 15).
COMMENT: Och and Widmer were found walking in the tribal region in North Waziristan where they had been held captive.The couple is now being debriefed by the Pakistan military in Peshawar.
Despite the duration of their captivity, they seem to have been well-cared for and are physically well, although they will be examined by doctors following their debriefing.
The Taliban released a video in October 2011, featuring the couple saying that their lives were at risk if the militant group's demands were not met. The demands included the release of Taliban members being held by Pakistani authorities, and the release from US custody of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman sentenced by an American court to 86 years in prison for attempting to kill Americans in Afghanistan.
This posting will be updated as new information becomes available.
