An Italian reporter abducted by Taliban militants in Afghanistan ten days ago, warned in an audio recording delivered on Thursday that he will be executed in two days if his kidnappers demands are not met.
"Only two days, after that they will kill us. I'm Daniele Mastrogiacomo... please do what the Taliban say, otherwise they'll kill us...please, we only have two days, two days from today," said the reporter in a audio tape sent to the Afghan news agency Pajhwok.
Mastrogiacomo, 53, and two Afghan colleagues went missing on March 5 while attempting to interview Taliban leaders in southern Afghanistan, where NATO has just unleashed the biggest offensive since the 2001 war that toppled the Islamists.
The Italian reporter, who was born in Pakistan and speaks perfect English, was accused by the Taliban of being a spy.
The left-leaning La Repubblica daily for which he has been working since 1980 has vehemently denied the accusation.
Audio experts in Rome are listening to the 55-second-long recording - which is barely audible and contains a lot of background noise - to determine if it is Mastrogiacomo's voice.
Alessandro Mastrogiacomo told Sky News he could not confirm that it was his brother speaking but said he believed he recognised "the inflections in his voice".
In the audio recording, the reporter says in English: "My son's name is Michael...I'm Daniele, Daniele Mastrogiacomo".
La Repubblica said that the recording included the voice of Taliban leader Mullah Dadullah ordering the reporter in Pashto to tell the Italian government it had only two days to save his life.
On its web site Pajhwok says Dadullah urges the reporter: "Tell them I'm alive. Today is 13th, and if they failed to accept the demands till 16th, it will create problems for me".
GOVERNMENT WORKING THROUGH HUMANITARIAN CHANNELS.
Earlier on Thursday, Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said the government was "doing everything possible with the utmost diplomacy. We are not negotiating with the Taliban. Humanitarian organisations are keeping channels open".
Premier Romano Prodi, who discussed the crisis in a telephone conversation with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, said the government "was sparing no effort" to secure Mastrogiacomo's release.
"We've met some Afghan officials and we're working to do all we can," he added.
A video delivered on Wednesday to Emergency, a medical organisation that has done crucial work in Afghanistan, showed Mastrogiacomo appealing to Prodi.
"Today is March 12, it is 8 am in Afghanistan. I would like to say that I am well and launch this appeal to the government: free me," the reporter said.
"Two Afghan colleagues and I illegally entered their territory and so I appeal to the Italian government and Premier Romano Prodi to attempt everything possible to secure our release".
Mastrogiacomo ended his appeal on an optimistic note: "I am calm and convinced that all will end well".
Gino Strada, the war doctor who has become famous through the work of his organisation Emergency, said the kidnappers made no specific requests for his release in the video.
Last September Emergency was instrumental in the release of photo-journalist Gabriele Torsello after three weeks' captivity in Helmand, the same area of Afghanistan where Mastrogiacomo was abducted.
He told La Repubblica on Thursday that he was "optimistic" about the outcome of Mastrogiacomo's ordeal.
Last week, Italian state broadcaster RAI said the Taliban want Italy to quit Afghanistan in exchange for his release.
RAI interviewed a Pakistani journalist, Rahimullah Yousefzai, who claimed to be in direct contact with the Islamists holding the correspondent.
Italy's 1,900-strong contingent is a peacekeeping force and is not involved in combat operations.
