Two Foreign Women Reported Abducted In Afghanistan

Two foreign aid workers and three Afghan colleagues have been abducted by unknown armed men in the northeastern province of Badakhshan, Afghan authorities reported.

A spokesman for the provincial governor said the aid team was traveling between villages when the armed gunmen stopped their vehicle.

The names and nationalities of the foreign aid workers, and their employer, have not been officially released.

Police are searching for the victims in a mountainous area of the Shahr-e Bozorg district.

Officials said a local criminal gang was suspected, rather than Taliban militants.

With reporting by dpa and AFP