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UN official kidnapped in Pakistan | UN official kidnapped in Pakistan |
(about 2 hours later) | |
An official of the United Nations refugee agency has been kidnapped in the western Pakistani city of Quetta, police say. | |
Reports identified him as John Solecki, an American and the regional head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. | |
Police said gunmen stopped his vehicle on his way to work, seizing him and killing his driver, a local man. | |
The Taleban is active in the region which has also seen unrest from groups wanting greater local autonomy. | |
The UN has confirmed that an official with the UNHCR had been kidnapped, but did not reveal the official's name or nationality. | |
Senior police official Khalid Masood said the kidnapped official was American John Solecki, who "has been serving in Quetta for more than two years". | |
"We cannot speculate on the motive behind the crime," he told Associated Press news agency. | |
No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. | |
Quetta police official Wazir Khan Nasir told Reuters news agency that the gunmen had taken the official with them "after shooting his driver". | Quetta police official Wazir Khan Nasir told Reuters news agency that the gunmen had taken the official with them "after shooting his driver". |
The man, a Pakistani, later died in hospital. | |
Television pictures from the scene of the incident showed a vehicle belonging to the UNHCR rammed against a wall. At least one bullet hole was visible on the wall. | Television pictures from the scene of the incident showed a vehicle belonging to the UNHCR rammed against a wall. At least one bullet hole was visible on the wall. |
Quetta is the capital of Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan. | Quetta is the capital of Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan. |
The UNHCR has been working for years in Quetta with refugees from Afghanistan. | |
There has been low level insurgency in Balochistan driven by groups wanting more autonomy for the province. | |
Taleban groups have also been active in the region. | |
There have been a number of kidnappings in the region, as crime has been on the rise. |