The Afghan government has released a video of CBC journalist Mellissa Fung being interviewed by an Afghan government official. In it, she talks about her four weeks as a captive of Afghan bandits.
Chained, blindfolded and imprisoned in a tiny hole in a remote mountain area — that was Mellissa Fung's world for the month she spent in the hands of kidnappers in Afghanistan.
The CBC television reporter was kidnapped while visiting a refugee camp near Kabul on Oct. 12. She was finally set free Saturday.
A video containing a debrief of Ms. Fung by Afghan security officials was released by the government of President Hamid Karzai on Sunday. Ms. Fung, wearing a head scarf and a traditional Punjabi outfit, looked tired and a bit gaunt but was apparently in good health.
“They kept me blindfolded – not the whole time,” she said calmly. “The first three weeks they had somebody with me the whole time watching me. So they didn't chain me. The last week they left me and they chained me.”
Afghanistan's intelligence chief, Amrullah Saleh, was questioning Ms. Fung. He asked if her captors kept her in a well or in a house. Authorities last month freed two kidnapped Afghans who were kept captive in a well.
“In a cave. It was very small,” Ms. Fung replied. “They dug a small hole... and the hole (entrance) was here, and then there was a little tunnel that went into the cave.” Ms. Fung then drew Mr. Saleh a sketch of the cave.
“Could you stand in the cave?” Mr. Saleh asked.
“Barely and I am short,” she replied. “It was maybe five and a half feet long.”
Food was a packet of biscuits and juice once per day. She didn't get any water.