U.S., Britain Slam Italy Hostage Deal With Taliban

The United States and Britain criticised Italy's hostage deal with the Taliban.

Saying the release of five guerrillas in exchange for an Italian reporter put NATO troops in danger and encouraged kidnappings.

A senior U.S. administration official said Washington had formally complained to Rome through diplomatic channels for putting pressure on Kabul to release the Taliban, adding the deal "caught the U.S. by surprise".

A spokeswoman at the British Foreign Office said the deal sent "the wrong signal to prospective hostage-takers."

Italy, which has 1,900 troops under NATO command in Afghanistan, confirmed on Wednesday that five Taliban had been released and said this was in exchange for Monday's freeing of reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo, held for two weeks by the Taliban.

A spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said only that the Afghan government made the deal "in recognition of the friendship with Italy".

The U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the release of five "dangerous Taliban operatives" would not have been approved by Washington.

"We did not and do not approve of concessions to terrorists," the official told Italian reporters in Washington, in comments confirmed to Reuters in Rome. "(The concessions) increase the risk to NATO and Afghan troops and the Afghan people."

The Taliban, which are reported to have called the hostage deal a "victory", killed Mastrogiacomo's driver. His translator's whereabouts are still unknown.

The U.S. official said the freed Taliban were believed to include Ustad Yaser, the head of the Taliban's cultural wing, and former spokesman Mofti Latifollah Hakimi.

Also freed were the brother of Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah and two other commanders, Hambdullah and Abdol Ghaffar.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has fought hard to keep troops in Afghanistan, despite resistance from pacifists within his centre-left ruling coalition. He even briefly resigned last month after a defeat in the Senate over his foreign policy -- including the Afghan mission.

There was no immediate comment from Italy's foreign ministry.

An opinion poll published by Mastrogiacomo's newspaper, La Repubblica, showed that 51 percent of Italians surveyed supported the exchange, while 41 percent opposed it.