Time was a key element in ordering Monday's commando raid which freed two Italian military personnel kidnapped at the weekend in Afghanistan, well informed sources said.
The dawn raid was coordinated by NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) under Italian command, carried out by British and Italian special forces units and based on information gathered by Italian intelligence.
Military sources believe the kidnappers intended to bring the hostages south and sell them to anti-government Taliban forces.
Italian Premier Romano Prodi said he did not hesitate to give the order to carry out the raid once the hostages had been located and commando units were in place.
The operation took place at dawn because it was not possible to carry it out during the night, he explained.
The premier, who is in New York for the UN General Assembly, expressed his "admiration and gratitude to all those who took part in the operation".
"The result of this military operation is a heavy defeat for the kidnappers and should serve as a warning for the future," Prodi observed.
"This was a difficult operation carried out using sophisticated means but which in the end involved the direct participation of men on the ground," he added.
Looking at the situation in Afghanistan, the premier said that "while there has been progress, it has not been sufficient to be satisfied".
This latest kidnapping, Prodi said, "will not change the goal of the international mission in Afghanistan, a mission in which Italy has played a key role. And it is certainly not the time to change policies".
Hard-left elements in Prodi's coalition on Monday renewed their calls for an Italian withdrawal from Afghanistan. They have until now reluctantly agreed to support the Afghan mission provided Italian troops are not involved in military operations.
Prodi briefly quit in February after a crisis sparked by foreign policy, particularly the Afghan mission.
Italian Defense Minister Arturo Parisi will report on the raid to parliament Monday afternoon.
An ISAF statement has confirmed that both Italian hostages were injured in Monday's dawn raid, one of them suffering a serious head wound, and that "all the kidnappers were killed".
There are unconfirmed reports that there were as many as nine kidnappers.
There were no casualties among the NATO forces and the hostages are believed to have been shot by their kidnappers.
British SAS units are said to have led the raid with Italian paratroopers acting as backup.
In a statement to the press, ISAF spokesman Major Charles Anthony said "this successful operation is the proof of ISAF's determination to deal with acts of terrorism in Afghanistan".
