ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- A British journalist captured in Pakistan in March has been freed by his captors in the Taliban-controlled region of North Waziristan, officials say.
Family members of Asad Qureshi negotiated his release, The Daily Telegraph reported Thursday.
Qureshi was traveling with two former Pakistani intelligence officers when they were taken hostage. One remains a captive, the other was beheaded, the newspaper said.
"We can confirm that Asad Qureshi has been released and our consular team are providing him with consular assistance," an unnamed official said.
Qureshi was being debriefed in Islamabad, The Guardian, a London newspaper, said Thursday. His condition was not known.
The group's capture five months ago surprised analysts, because two of them were former members of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence agency and were friendly with militants, the reports said.
One, Khalid Khawaja, who claimed he was once a friend of Osama bin Laden, was later beheaded.
In a July video, the other hostage, identified only as Colonel Inman, said he was held by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami, believed to be a splinter cell from a Sunni extremist group.
