Chinese engineer Long Xiaowei is interviewed by media at the airport in Islamabad, Pakistan, Feb. 18, 2009. Long Xiaowei, who was released from the custody of Taliban in northwestern Pakistan, has left here for China on Wednesday.(Xinhua/Li Jingchen) Photo Gallery>>>

    ISLAMABAD, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese engineer who was released from the custody of Taliban in northwestern Pakistan has left here for China on Wednesday.

    The engineer named Long Xiaowei boarded a China Southern Airlines flight heading for Urumqi in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China.

    Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy to Pakistan Yao Jing, while seeing off the engineer, expressed thanks to the Pakistani authorities for their great efforts for the engineer's release.

    Long expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government, the embassy and the Pakistani authorities for his final release.

    Long was set free and handed over to Pakistani police on Saturday. Long and his colleague were abducted by militants in Lower Dir district in North West Frontier Province in August last year.