Taleban said Thursday that some of its jailed commanders had been freed in exchange for the release of the two French hostages.

“France was made to accept the conditions of the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan and agreed the release of a number of mujahedeen commanders in exchange for the release of the journalists,” they said in a statement.

Television reporter Herve Ghesquiere, 47, tears of joy in his eyes, described being confined indoors “23 and three-quarters hours a day” and repeatedly having his hopes raised of an imminent release — and then dashed.

Cameraman Stephane Taponier, 46, at his side, broke into a grin as he said, “We’re doing really, really, really well.” Both looked quite pale but otherwise healthy, and were visibly moved by the huge crowd of journalists gathered at a military airbase outside Paris for the long-awaited homecoming.

Their plight was one of France’s longest-ever hostage ordeals, and had become a national cause. President Nicolas Sarkozy, first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and France’s defense and foreign ministers met the two men as they descended from a plane from Kabul.

The two journalists and three Afghan associates were kidnapped in December 2009 while working for France-3 television on a story about reconstruction on a road east of Kabul. They had been embedded with French troops in Afghanistan, but decided to take off to report on their own and were captured.

The journalists insisted Thursday that they had not been beaten or mistreated by their Taleban captors, just suffered “very very difficult” living conditions. They said they were separated after the first three months and spent the rest of the time isolated and confined. “We represented something important for” the Taleban, Taponier said, which he said gave him hope that they would eventually be freed.