Pakistani workers of U.S. aid agency feared kidnapped

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Pakistani workers of U.S. aid agency feared kidnapped​

QUETTA, Pakistan | Tue Jul 19, 2011 1:12am EDT



(Reuters) - Eight Pakistani employees of a U.S.-based aid organization are missing and feared kidnapped in Pakistan's volatile southwest bordering Afghanistan, a senior Pakistani government official said on Tuesday.

The American Refugee Committee (ARC) employees were returning from an Afghan refugee camp in Pishin in Baluchistan province on Monday evening when they went missing.

"They distributed some relief goods among the refugees and were probably kidnapped on their way back to Quetta," Pishin's deputy commissioner Mansoor Kakar told Reuters, referring to the provincial capital. Pishin is about 50 km (31 miles) from Quetta. "Efforts are underway to recover them."

Militants linked to al Qaeda and the Taliban, as well as ethnic Baluch militants fighting for more autonomy, have been involved in violence in the region, which also borders Iran.

Kakar said it was not clear who was behind the possible kidnapping. "We don't have any clue so far."

Kidnapping is an industry in Pakistan's lawless tribal regions, with money often the main motivation rather than political demands. Ransoms are a large source of revenue for the Taliban, al Qaeda and the Baluch insurgency.

ARC has worked in refugee camps near Quetta since 2002, focusing on providing health care and training members of the community in basic health services, according to the ARC website. It began operating in northern parts of Pakistan after 2005 devastating earthquake.

Earlier this month, a Swiss couple was kidnapped by gunmen in district of Loralai in Baluchistan. They have not yet been recovered.

An American official of the U.N. refugee agency was kidnapped in Quetta in 2009 but was released after two months.


Pakistani workers of U.S. aid agency feared kidnapped | Reuters

 

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Aid workers kidnapped in south-west Pakistan​

Gunmen have kidnapped eight Pakistani aid workers near the Afghan border in south-west Pakistan, officials say.

The workers were abducted late on Monday in Pishin district, some 50km (30 miles) north of Quetta, capital of Balochistan province, reports say.

A district official told the AFP news agency that the kidnapped men were working for an American NGO.

They were returning after distributing food at an Afghan refugee camp near the border when the incident happened.

"Their vehicle was intercepted and they were kidnapped at gunpoint. Their vehicle was also taken," the official, Abdul Mansoor, said.

There have been a number of kidnappings in Balochistan, where insurgents have been fighting for more autonomy. The Taliban are also active in the area, which borders Afghanistan.

Earlier this month a holidaying Swiss couple was seized by gunmen in the Lorali district, north of Quetta.

BBC News - Aid workers kidnapped in south-west Pakistan