AFGHANISTAN

Today, late on the day, Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban escorted a reporter for London´s Sunday Express, Yvonne Ridley, to neighboring Pakistan after releasing her from a 10-day detention. She could face the death penalty for spying. Taliban said Ridley was handed over to Pakistani officials by a Taliban protocol official who escorted her from the Afghan capital Kabul. The Taliban said on October 5, that Ridley, who was arrested in Afghanistan on September 28 for entering the country illegally, would be handed over to the British High Commissioner (ambassador) to Pakistan Monday (October 8) morning. In London earlier in the day, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he had received no word on the fate of Ridley. ``I´m sorry to say that we´ve had no positive reports about Yvonne Ridley´s safety, and no negative reports either,´´ Straw told reporters. ``I feel terribly for the family because they´ve been on this kind of rollercoaster. Yesterday their hopes were raised, I had my fingers crossed but was very concerned indeed that the news might be premature,´´ he added. Ridley, 43, was arrested with two Afghan guides near Jalalabad more than a week ago while dressed in a traditional burqa, the all-enveloping veil which has only a mesh for the eyes. The fate of the guides was not immediately known, but they could face severe punishment. Ridley was held in Kabul along with eight foreign aid workers detained in the Afghan capital since early August on charges of spreading Christianity.