A French security agent kidnapped by insurgents in Somalia last month is under protection at the presidential palace in Mogadishu after being freed. There are conflicting reports surrounding his release. The Somali military claimed the man escaped after killing three of his captors, but the French foreign office issued a statement saying "his liberation was brought about without violence, contrary to certain information given locally".The Islamist group Hezb al-Islam, which was holding the man, claimed he was freed after a ransom was paid. He and another French agent, who are thought to have been in Somalia to train government forces in their fight against Islamist militias, were snatched from a hotel in the capital on 14 July. One was handed over to Hezb al-Islam, the other to fighters from the al-Shabaab group, which the US describes as al-Qaida's proxy in the Horn of Africa state.
Farhan Asanyo, a Somali military officer, said the man approached government soldiers early today telling them who he was and that he had escaped. "The man told them that he was one of the French officials held by militants," Asanyo said. "He said he escaped after killing three of his captors, and we sent him to the presidential palace." Although the Somali authorities had initially said both men had been freed, the statement was swiftly retracted, with the government later saying it was "continuing its efforts to secure the release of the second hostage".,,more..http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/26/somalia-france-agent-kidnap-free
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