Kabul, Afghanistan ? Italian commandos, aided by other NATO forces and aircraft, rescued two kidnapped Italian intelligence operatives Monday in a daring ambush and gunbattle that left at least nine of the captors dead in western Afghanistan.

Although both freed Italians were wounded – one of them seriously – Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said the operation was a success and could put a dent in Afghanistan’s rising kidnapping industry.

Violence elsewhere in Afghanistan killed at least 31 people. Among the dead were two NATO soldiers serving with Spain’s contingent and an Iranian serving as their interpreter – all killed in a land mine explosion, the Spanish defense minister said. Three were seriously wounded.

The two Italians, who were described by Defense Minister Arturo Parisi in Rome as working for the Sismi intelligence service, disappeared along with their two Afghan colleagues Saturday. They were last seen at a police checkpoint in western Herat province.

Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema said the fact that the two were intelligence agents posed an “imminent danger,” which required the rescue.

Parisi told parliament that Italian forces were aided in the rescue by British, German and U.S. forces, which were monitoring the movements of the kidnappers with a Predator drone aircraft and helicopters.

NATO “very quickly” began receiving intelligence reports on the Italians’ location, enabling forces to launch the rescue mission, added French Brig. Gen. Vincent Lafontaine, chief of planning for the 40,000 alliance troops in Afghanistan.

“There is a sort of window of opportunity if you achieve reliable intelligence,” Lafontaine said. “It’s a success story because it was very quickly solved.”

The decision to launch the operation was made after coalition forces determined the kidnappers had started heading south from Farah on Monday morning in two cars, Parisi said.

Italian special forces ambushed the convoy in neighboring Farah province, sparking a gunbattle that killed at least nine of the kidnappers.

One of the Italians was seriously wounded, and doctors were evaluating whether to operate, Parisi said. The other had broken his shoulder and left collarbone, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Both had been beaten by their captors, said Afghan Gen. Jalandar Shah.

Maj. Charles Anthony, a spokesman for the NATO force here, said it was not clear if the two Italians were wounded by gunfire from their rescuers or their kidnappers.

The Italians’ Afghan translator was also wounded, and another Afghan, apparently their driver, was killed, Parisi said. Anthony hinted the driver might have helped in the kidnappings.

The rescue operation “was a heavy defeat for the kidnappers and therefore a warning for the future,” Prodi said in New York, where he is attending the U.N. General Assembly.

“We did not have one moment of hesitation in giving the mandate to those who were in the field to act with the utmost determination,” Prodi said.

Lafontaine said the operation sends a message to potential hostage takers.

Italian Defense Ministry undersecretary Giovanni Lorenzo Forcieri said a “criminal band” had taken the Italians, and officials were afraid they would be sold to other groups. A Taliban spokesman told The Associated Press its militants were not responsible.

Several high-profile abductions have been a boon for the Taliban this year. The militants had face-to-face negotiations with South Korean government officials for the release of 23 of their citizens kidnapped in July. The militants also won the release of five Taliban prisoners in exchange for an Italian journalist kidnapped in March.

But these come at a price. Afghan and Western troops appear to be targeting the militants who took the Koreans, killing at least five Taliban commanders in Ghazni province since the captives were freed three weeks ago.

The Afghan and Italian governments were heavily criticized in March after five Taliban prisoners were freed in exchange for the release of newspaper journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo – a step many observers feared would encourage more kidnappings.