As Israel prepares to welcome home abducted soldier Gilad Shalit after more than five years in militant captivity, the head of the German intelligence service (BND) has hailed the role of his agency in the operation to free the 25-year-old.

Speaking on ARD public television on Friday, Ernst Uhrlau confirmed the BND had been entrusted with the task of supporting the mission "with particularly qualified, experienced colleagues, who know the Middle East well."

"If we achieved a result that will shortly see Shalit return to his family after five and a half years, then that is a huge success," he added.

"And if Germany and the BND played a part in that, then that makes us proud."

Expected home Tuesday

Shalit has been held since June 25, 2006, when he was captured in a cross-border raid by militants from three Gaza groups - Hamas, the Popular Resistance Committees and the Army of Islam. He is expected home on Tuesday.

The German role is his forthcoming release was no secret, but Uhrlau nonetheless remained reluctant to reveal details of the negotiations.

"Please understand that we are talking about a humanitarian action that we have been involved in for a long time and we cannot talk about the details," he said.

What is known is that the deal will likely see him transited through Egypt, which also played a part in his release. Israel, in turn, will release the first batch of the 1,000 Palestinians it pledged to set free in return for Shalit.

Author: Darren Mara (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Martin Kuebler