Italian reporter 'will be freed'

"I hope the matter is resolved today," Mr Karzai said in Berlin after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"He should either be free by now or should be in the process of being freed," Mr Karzai said.

The Taleban had said they would release the journalist if Italy pulled its troops out of Afghanistan.

'Spies'

The Taleban said earlier this month that that had captured Mr Mastrogiacomo and two Afghan nationals in the southern province of Helmand.

The two Afghans were named as Ajmal and Syed Agha. Both are known as translators who work with Western journalists.

Mr Mastrogiacomo works for the Italian daily, La Repubblica.

A source close to the Islamist group told the BBC that the three men were seized for travelling in Helmand without permission, and were accused of spying.

Mr Karzai gave no indication in his comments in Germany about the fate of the two Afghans.

Italy has almost 2,000 troops in Afghanistan, stationed in Kabul and in western Herat province under the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf).

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La Repubblica
Italian foreign ministry
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