Rescued Australian aid worker home with Afghan honour

An Australian aid worker abducted in Afghanistan in April and released last weekend was due to fly into Perth last night.

President Ashraf Ghani honours Kerry Wilson. Picture: Twitter

An Australian aid worker who was abducted in Afghanistan in April and released last weekend was due to fly into Perth last night to be reunited with her family and friends.

Kerry Jane Wilson, aged in her 60s, had worked and lived in Afghan­istan for more than 20 years but is from Perth and has family in the city.

Her father, Brian Wilson, 91, had been expecting Ms Wilson home for a holiday when he was told she had been abducted.

At the time he had a blunt message for the gunmen who snatched her. “To the kidnappers — to hell with you,” he said.

On Tuesday night, the President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, honoured Ms Wilson for her humanitarian service with the High State Medal of Malalai in a Kabul ceremony.

Ms Wilson was released last Sunday after being kidnapped in Jalalabad in April.

It is believed a criminal gang held her for ransom. She was head of the Zardozi charity, which works with Afghan women.

It is understood Ms Wilson was rescued in a late-night operation conducted by Afghan security forces.

Ziar Yaad, a journalist with Afghan­istan’s Tolo News, told The Australian that Ms Wilson had been rescued by soldiers from the Afghan security agency, the National Directorate of Security. Yaad was told by the NDS that Ms Wilson was in poor health, and had lost a lot of weight.

The agency said it was likely she had been taken to a hospital at a Jalalabad military base following the rescue.

It was expected she would be flown to the Australian embas­sy in Kabul for a debriefing before leaving Afghanistan.

Ms Wilson’s family said in a statement on Tuesday that they were “over the moon and looking forward to seeing her soon”.

“We would like to thank everyone who has supported us during this very difficult time.

“In particular, we thank the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Australian Federal Police for their tireless assistance.

“We would also like to thank the authorities in Afghanistan whose support and assistance facili­tated her release.”