Ten of 15 people taken hostage in Tajikistan have now been released.
Unidentified gunmen took 15 people, including an American and two Germans, hostage.
Five hostages, including one foreigner, remain captive.
The foreigner has not been identified, but the four others were locally hired by the German agricultural aid company Agro-Action.
Earlier, the ITAR-Tass news agency said three women who worked for the firm and a driver had been freed.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin has confirmed the release of four people, including the local leader of the charity, her deputy and two others.
The gunmen seized 11 AgroAction workers and four Tajik security officers yesterday, the Interfax news agency and ITAR-Tass reported.
They demanded the release of four suspects in the killing of a government official.
They were taken captive at AgroAction's office in the Tavil Dara region, in the foothills of the Pamir mountains.
PA