Their captivity was very unpleasant, but not abusive. "We were never threatened, never beaten, never tied up," Taponier said, according to the Christian Science Monitor. "But we were locked up 23 hours and 45 minutes [a day], with very little to eat, and always the same thing, 'Afghan mountain special.' It might sound stupid, food, but it's vital." The conditions were "very, very difficult," the two told The Guardian, but Tapioner said, "We represented something important for the Taliban," which gave them hope they would be released. Ghesquierè told the paper he passed the time by exercising and writing. "And he exclaimed in dismay in recalling that a year-and-a-half of notes he took were taken away before his liberation, because his captors didn't want any document released."

French public support reached one, but not the other. Broadcasters and other media outlets aired a constant stream of supportive messages, and banners with the men's photos have hung from city halls across France. The Guardian reported that only taponier was able to get the message:

The Taliban gave each journalist a radio at some point, they said. Taponier was able to listen to Radio France International, which was broadcasting regular messages of support to the two men in the hope they were listening. "That warmed our hearts," Taponier said. But Ghesquierè was only able to get a BBC signal, and said he was largely unaware of the large support campaign in France.

Troop withdrawals may have contributed to their release. From the AP: "Last week, French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet said the announcements of staggered French and U.S. troop withdrawals might help the cause of freeing Ghesquiere and Taponier. President Barack Obama announced the withdrawal of 33,000 troops by September 2012, and France followed suit, announcing it will pull out a quarter of its force of 4,000."

The two local fixers captured with them were freed earlier. Foreign Minister Alain Juppe spoke with Agence France-Presse. "'The two other helpers were freed some time ago, but this was not made public,' Juppe explained, citing the need for secrecy in resolving hostage situations."

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.