BERLIN, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The German Foreign Ministry confirmed Sunday that a German woman taken hostage Saturday in the Afghan capital of Kabul has been set free.

    The 31-year-old woman, who works for an international aid organization, was abducted by gunmen in a barbecue restaurant where she was having lunch with her husband.

    A German news NTV report said the woman is now staying in the German embassy in Kabul.

    Afghan security forces stormed the place where the kidnappers hid the woman and freed the German hostage around midnight.

    A group of kidnappers were arrested, said the report.

    Earlier in the day, the German, named Christina Meier, appeared on a video, broadcast by an Afghan local television, pleading for help.

    Last month, two German engineers were taken hostage in central Afghanistan. One of them was shot dead and the other still remains in captivity.