The second French aid worker held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan has been released and is on his way to Kabul, according to a spokesperson for the militant group.
Eric Damfreville, a worker with Terre d'Enfance, was kidnapped along with Celine Cordelier, another French national, and three Afghan aid workers on April 3 in southwestern Nimroz province.
Cordelier was freed late last month, but the three Afghans are still being held.
The Taliban had originally demanded that French troops pull out of Afghanistan in exchange for the hostages' lives.
"The deadline for their release was extended several times due to the French election," said CTV's Steve Chao, reporting from Kandahar.
"According to Taliban spokesperson Qari Yousef Ahmadi, they now believe that the current president has suggested he will revisit whether French troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan. That was enough for the Taliban. They said due to that public gesture they are releasing Eric Damfreville."
Chao said the freed hostage is healthy and was apparently well treated by his Taliban captors. There is no word on the three Afghan hostages still held by the Taliban.
After she was released, and before she flew home to France, Cordelier spoke briefly at the French embassy in Kabul.
"I thank the Taliban for keeping their promise and giving me back my life. I will never forget that they gave me something to eat and drink and treated me with respect," she said in French, her voice shaking and barely audible at times.
"Eric came like me, to Afghanistan as a friend. Hashim, Rasul and Azrat are Afghans. They are Muslims. They are their brothers. They have children waiting for them."
