Michael Yon Walks Back His Accusation That David Rohde Was Ransomed

Independent warblogger Michael Yon created a minor furor earlier this month when he claimed, via Twitter, that the New York Times had "paid millions" to secure reporter David Rohde's release from the Taliban. Now he says he didn't mean ransom.

Yon sourced the report to "numerous very well placed sources," and said ex-CIA officers were involved in doling out millions to secure Rohde's release. This is of course at odds with Rohde and the Times' account of his ordeal—Rohde and his translator Tahir Ludin say they escaped serendipitously and without any outside help, and the Times says it paid no ransom. Yon seemed to be calling them liars.

"Not the case," says Yon. He wrote on his blog this morning that he was referring to the large amount of money spent by the Times on bribes sent "through Dubai to Pakistan" and money spent on "consultants and other expenses."