An Indian engineer was kidnapped with two Afghan police guards and a driver in southwestern Afghanistan, government officials said yesterday, as Taleban militants said they had snatched the men. India condemned the incident and called for their early release. Afghan agencies are investigating the matter, according to Indian officials. âWe have seen reports that Taleban have abducted them. If the reports are true, we condemn the incident and urge that all persons be released,â External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said in New Delhi.The four were captured late Saturday while they were driving on an âunsafe roadâ in volatile Nimroz province, a district chief in neighboring Farah province told AFP. The Interior Ministry said the four were kidnapped in Nimrozâs Poshta-e-Hassan area by unknown men. âA search operation and investigations have been launched by police,â ministry spokesman Yousuf Stanizai told AFP.
A purported spokesman for the Taleban, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, told AFP members of the group had kidnapped the engineer and three guards in Khash Road district. Purported Taleban spokesmen often say the group has carried out attacks and other incidents in Afghanistan but their claims are not always accurate. Their claim to have kidnapped a British engineer and his Afghan interpreter in Farah province on Aug 31 was however widely believed to be credible. The menâs bodies were found a few days later. The area is a hotbed of anti-government militants, most of them allied to the Taleban, and criminal groups involved in smuggling, mainly of Afghanistanâs large crop of illicit opium.