The Rescue of Heather Mercer
Title
The Rescue of Heather Mercer
Creator
Description
The Rescue of Heather Mercer
Heather Mercer and her friend and co-worker Dayna Curry, were American aid workers arrested in Afghanistan by the Taliban on August 3, 2001. They were part of the Antioch International Movement of Churches and employed by a German-based Christian aid organization called Shelter Now International.
Following their arrest, six other Western aid workers and sixteen co-workers from Afghanistan were taken into custody and charged with preaching Christianity, a crime potentially punishable by death under Taliban law.
The workers were initially held as prisoners in Kabul. When Northern Alliance forces took control of Kabul on November 13, 2001, the aid workers from Afghanistan were freed. The Western aid workers, however, were moved by the Taliban to a prison in Ghazni. There, anti-Taliban forces freed those prisoners as well. They were airlifted to safety in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Heather Mercer grew up in suburban Virginia, outside of Washington. Her parents were divorced. Heather's mother, Deborah Eddy from Lewiston, and her grandmother, Norma Anderson from Niagara Falls, worked tirelessly for Heather's release.
Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry were welcomed home by President Bush and invited to join him at the White House.
The president said, "They had a calling to serve the poorest of the poor." Heather commented, "We know we're here because of the prayers of people all over the country, all over the world!"
Heather Mercer and her friend and co-worker Dayna Curry, were American aid workers arrested in Afghanistan by the Taliban on August 3, 2001. They were part of the Antioch International Movement of Churches and employed by a German-based Christian aid organization called Shelter Now International.
Following their arrest, six other Western aid workers and sixteen co-workers from Afghanistan were taken into custody and charged with preaching Christianity, a crime potentially punishable by death under Taliban law.
The workers were initially held as prisoners in Kabul. When Northern Alliance forces took control of Kabul on November 13, 2001, the aid workers from Afghanistan were freed. The Western aid workers, however, were moved by the Taliban to a prison in Ghazni. There, anti-Taliban forces freed those prisoners as well. They were airlifted to safety in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Heather Mercer grew up in suburban Virginia, outside of Washington. Her parents were divorced. Heather's mother, Deborah Eddy from Lewiston, and her grandmother, Norma Anderson from Niagara Falls, worked tirelessly for Heather's release.
Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry were welcomed home by President Bush and invited to join him at the White House.
The president said, "They had a calling to serve the poorest of the poor." Heather commented, "We know we're here because of the prayers of people all over the country, all over the world!"
Contributor
Date
2001-11-26
Publisher
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
WIVB (Television Station : Buffalo, N.Y.)
Rights
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Type
Moving Image
Format
video/mp4
Language
Collection
Citation
Newberg, Rich, “The Rescue of Heather Mercer,” B&ECPL Digital Collections, accessed December 5, 2025, https://digital.buffalolib.org/document/17436.