AN Italian aid worker, who was abducted in Kenya in November 2018, has been flown back to her home country. Silvia Romano, 25, embraced her parents and sister, and was greeted by Italy’s prime minister and foreign minister after she landed in Rome on Sunday. She was freed from suspected Islamist group al-Shabab near Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Saturday. Italy’s secret service is said to have been assisted by Turkey and Somalia to secure her release. No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction 18 months ago. Romano, who works for the Italian charity Africa Milele Onlus, was seized by gunmen from a small rural hotel in Kilifi Country, southeastern Kenya, in 2018. She is believed to have been later taken to Somalia. Kenyan police at the time offered a US$10,000 reward to help find Romano. Romano was the first foreigner to be kidnapped in Kenya since the country had a spate of abductions that threatened its tourism resurgence in 2011. (SD-Agencies) |