An Italian aid worker abducted in Afghanistan more than three weeks ago has been released and is in good health, reports Xinhua.

"She has been released, she is in good health," Interior Ministry spokesperson Latfullah Mashal said Thursday.

Clementina Cantoni, 32, was kidnapped May 16 by four gunmen who stopped her car as she was driving home here.

At a press conference, Interior Minister Ali Ahmed Jalali said: "We tried during these 24 days to persuade the abductors to release her."

"We did not give any concession to kidnappers. No ransom was paid, and no other concessions were given," he added.

Clementina, who has been engaged in humanitarian work for 10 years, has lived in Afghanistan since March 2002.

Since September 2003, she has been managing the 'Humanitarian Assistance for the Women of Afghanistan' project, providing food assistance and income-generating activities for 10,000 widows.

The abductors, who claimed to be affiliated to an Islamic group, had set conditions for her release including banning liquor, improving religious schools and banning vulgar programmes on radio and television.

On May 29, Afghan television stations aired a videotape of Cantoni after some media reports said she had been killed.

Cantoni is the sixth foreigner to be kidnapped in the last 12 months. Three UN workers were kidnapped ahead of the Afghan presidential polls last year but were set free unharmed after a month.