Taliban authorities have released "Paris Match" journalist Michel Peyrard after an investigation concluded that he was not a spy, reports Reporters sans frontières (RSF). The journalist had been arrested along with two Pakistani colleagues on 9 October after they illegally entered Afghanistan to report on the US bombing campaign. According to RSF, Mukkaram Khan, a correspondent for the Pakistani newspaper "Nawa-i-Waqt", and Irfan Qureshi are still being detained, although a Taliban official said they would be released on 4 November. At press time, it is not known whether that pledge has been followed through. [See IFEX Communiqué #10-41]. ">http://communique.ifex.org/articles.cfm?system_id=3679">#10-41].

Meanwhile, RSF notes that Japanese journalist Yanagida Daigen remains in detention. He is the fourth journalist since 11 September to be detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan. On 3 November, the Taliban repeated its warning that that any foreigners who illegally enter Afghanistan will be considered spies and tried as such. For more information, see www.rsf.fr.