Photographer Chained in Afghan Hole Escapes

A French photographer is safe after being held by captors in Afghanistan for four months, Reuters reports. Pierre Borghi, 29, was kidnapped by armed men on Nov. 28 and managed to escape today, having broken out of a trap door-covered hole where he had been chained. The freelancer fled to a government checkpoint, Afghan officials say; he's now with officials from the French embassy. His kidnappers told him they belonged to various groups including the Taliban and al-Qaeda; an official says Borghi was likely taken by organized criminals who later sold him to insurgents. Among Borghi's first requests as a free man: coffee. (More Afghanistan stories.)