Flanigan to return home after short holiday

The UN worker from County Armagh, Annetta Flanigan, who was held captive for 27 days in Afghanistan is expected to return home after a short holiday.

Ms Flanigan is reported to have left the Afghan capital at the weekend for a break with her husband Jose, before going on to visit family and friends in Richhill, County Armagh.

Captured on October 28, along with two colleagues Shiqpe Hebibi from Kosovo and Filipino diplomat Angelito Nayan, Ms Flanigan spent 27 days in captivity.

It emerged that Ms Flanigan and her two co-workers were left in a park by their captors. Initial reports indicated that the trio had been freed as part of a series of successful security operations in Afghanistan, but a Nato spokesperson later said that the three had not been freed as a direct result of military operations. Government sources denied that a deal had been struck with the captors.

Following their release the three met briefly with the Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Last week, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Paul Murphy, welcomed the news of the release. Mr Murphy said he hoped that Annetta and her colleagues "can now begin to put this dreadful experience behind them and carry on with their lives".

(SP)