A FORMER Northern Echo journalist was last night being held by the ruling Taliban after she was arrested in Afghanistan.

Yvonne Ridley, 43, originally from Stanley, County Durham, was detained yesterday near the eastern city of Jalalabad.

Reports by the Afghan Islamic Press said she was captured along with two guides in the village of Dour Baba, 40 miles to the south-east of the city.

The news came as it was revealed that British and American special forces have mounted covert scouting missions inside Afghanistan.

A senior official in Washington confirmed last night that the troops had carried out reconnaissance missions in preparation for possible fullscale military strikes

Ms Ridley, who was wearing Afghan attire and veil, had been writing for The Sunday Express from the Pakistani cities of Peshawar and Islamabad. Taliban authorities were quoted as saying she was not carrying a passport or any other travel documents.

She had been in the Middle East since the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington DC, and entered Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Last night, the Foreign Office was urgently trying to clarify Ms Ridley's position amid fears that she may be used as a "human shield" by the Taliban.

Her former partner, Daoud Zaaroura, 54, chief executive of the North of England Refugee Service, also spoke of his grave fears for her safety.

Mr Zaaroura, the father of Ms Ridley's nine-year-old daughter, Daisy, said: "Yvonne is a journalist of great integrity and courage who shows no fear in the pursuit of a story.

"But she can be reckless and I am gravely worried about her now. The Taliban is a fanatical regime and I am concerned that they will think she has been gathering intelligence.

"Yvonne is an honest person and an excellent journalist but she often feels she can simply cruise through any given situation."

Ms Ridley's parents, Joyce and Allan, were at home in Beamish, County Durham, last night, but declined to comment.

Their daughter began her career as a trainee reporter on the Durham Advertiser in 1977, before moving on to the Stanley News.

She then joined The Northern Echo, based at its Chester-le-Street office, before spending a period on the newsdesk in Darlington. In all, she spent about six years at The Echo, covering The Falklands conflict for the paper.

She has since worked for the Newcastle-based Sunday Sun and The Journal, Wales on Sunday, The Sunday Times and The Observer.

Since her earliest days in newspapers she has forged a reputation as a tough, uncompromising, journalist.

A former colleague said: "I think feisty is the word - the Taliban doesn't know what it has taken on."

Ms Ridley could be tried by the militant regime if she is deemed to have committed an offence or may simply be held for hostage purposes to offset the severity of any coalition attacks.

Eight Westerners are already being held by the Taliban, having been arrested earlier this year for allegedly trying to promote Christianity.

Briton Nick Robertson, a producer and reporter with news network CNN, who used to live in Newcastle, is also thought to be in Taliban-controlled areas of Afghanistan.

Phil Andr, a lecturer in religious studies at Newcastle University and an expert in Middle-East affairs, said Ms Ridley would probably end up in a prison with any other Westerners, although conditions were likely to be slightly better than those for Afghans.

He said: "If she is being accused of spying it is quite likely she will be put on trial.

"But this could be a red herring and the real intention could be to use her as a human shield."

Mr Andr said the "cards would be stacked against" Ms Ridley if she were to be tried.

"She would be represented, but the people sitting in judgement would not be independent members of the judiciary as we expect in Britain, but members of the religious hierarchy."

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said they were in close contact with Ms Ridley's family and her employers.

"We're making inquiries about her well-being and any charges that may be brought against her."

Peter Barron, Editor of The Northern Echo and a former colleague, said: "Our thoughts are with Yvonne's family."