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German aid abducted in Kabul
18/08/2007 19:50 - (SA)
Kabul - Gunmen kidnapped a German woman aid worker on Saturday in the Afghan capital, an Interior Ministry spokesperson said, and armed men seized four Afghan engineers in the south of the country.
The woman was seized in the southwestern part of Kabul,
where some aid groups have offices, spokesperson Zemarai Bashary said.
He refused to identify the abductors, saying it would
jeopardise police efforts, but added police were targeting
locations where the woman was believed to be held.
The woman works for the "Ora International" aid group, an
official at the organisation in Germany said.
A Western official said the woman was was eating dinner with
her husband at the "Barbecue Tonight" restaurant when two men in civilian clothes came in brandishing pistols and pulled her out.
"Her poor husband tried to stop the whole thing but couldn't
and she was whisked away," the official said. "It looks like a
criminal act rather than a political one."
He said there were reports that criminal gangs from the
north of Afghanistan were planning more kidnappings and
abductions of foreigners in Kabul. The two kidnapper spoke with
northern accents.
Earlier in the day, armed men seized four engineers in the
southern province of Kandahar, provincial police said. Tribal
elders of the area have promised to secure the release of the
engineers, they said.
The motive behind the abduction of the German woman was not clear.
- Reuters
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