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Abdulrauf reunited with family after being held hostage for two years
Eleven-year-old Abdulrauf Balkhi, who was kidnapped two years ago, has been rescued by Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) forces and reunited with his family.
Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy spokesman for the IEA, confirmed Abdulrauf had been rescued on Saturday by security forces after being held hostage for two years.
He was handed over to his family by Deputy Prime Minister Mawolavi Abdul Salam Hanafi at a special ceremony in Balkh on Saturday.
Abdulrauf was abducted by kidnappers in Mazar-e-Sharif two years ago when he was on his way to school.
Since then the kidnappers have sent many videos and audio messages of him to his family and demanded $1.2 million in ransom.
The boy’s father said that he has been targeted by the kidnappers three times.
He said that in the latest incident, four hand grenades were thrown at him. The father and 12 relatives were injured in the attack.