(cnn) -- two international journalists were released wednesday after more than a year in captivity in somalia.

amanda lindhout, a canadian journalist, told tv globo that she and nigel brenan, an australian photojournalist, were released after having been held since august 2008, when militia men abducted them outside the capital city of mogadishu.

lindhout divulged few ugg classic tall stripe details of their captivity or their release. "until i'm out of the country, i just don't think it's a good idea to say anything," the reporter from calgary said from a hotel in mogadishu.

she described herself as "in shock."

"i can't believe it," she said. "this morning, i woke up and i was in absolute despair and tonight i'm sitting in a hotel room. it's absolutely unbelievable. i'll really be relieved to be out of the country, though."

she said she wanted to spend time with her family in canada. "i have a chance to sort of reevaluate my whole life," she said. "everything has changed. i'm not the same person as i was 15 months ago."

lindhout said she and brennan were planning to travel thursday to nairobi, kenya.

the two had been in the country just three days when militia men snatched them outside mogadishu as they were returning to the city after having visited ugg nightfall a refugee camp.

somalia has been mired in chaos since 1991, when warlords overthrew dictator mohamed siad barre and sparked clan infighting. somalia's current transitional government is trying to maintain control of the capital, with the help of ethiopian forces.

ethiopia invaded somalia in december 2006 to install the transitional government in mogadishu after a decade and a half of near-anarchy. the invasion had the blessing of the united ugg classic short states, which accused islamists of harboring fugitives from the al qaeda terrorist movement.