Italian intelligence agent, Lorenzo D'Auria

WO D'Auria

Italian intelligence agent, Warrant Officer Lorenzo D'Auria, aged 33, who was critically injured in Afghanistan during a commando raid which freed him from kidnappers, died on 10th April 2007.

WO D'Auria suffered severe injuries to the head and neck during a raid by British and Italian special forces on 24th September last year. It remains unclear whether he was shot by his captors or in friendly fire.

D'Auria, who was rushed back to Italy, was put on a life support system at Rome's Celio military hospital. Sadly he died from his injuries.

The SISMI intelligence agent, along with a fellow agent and their Afghan

interpreter, was taken hostage on 23rd September by bandits believed to be linked to the Taliban.

The second agent and the interpreter were also injured in the rescue mission but their wounds were not life-threatening. All eight of the kidnappers were killed in the raid as was the agents' Afghan driver, while the NATO forces suffered no casualties.