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UN official kidnapped in Pakistan | UN official kidnapped in Pakistan |
(about 4 hours later) | |
A senior official of the United Nations refugee agency, John Solecki, has been kidnapped in the western Pakistani city of Quetta, the UN has confirmed. | |
Police said gunmen stopped his vehicle on his way to work, seizing him and killing his driver, a local man. | Police said gunmen stopped his vehicle on his way to work, seizing him and killing his driver, a local man. |
No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. | No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. |
Quetta is capital of Balochistan, where insurgents have been fighting for more autonomy. The Taleban are also active in the area, which borders Afghanistan. | |
In a statement, the UN condemned attacks on humanitarian workers and said all measures were being taken to secure Mr Solecki's release. | |
Pakistani police said roadblocks had been set up on the roads out of Quetta and on border crossings to Afghanistan. | |
'Increased kidnappings' | |
Quetta police official Wazir Khan Nasir told Reuters news agency that the gunmen had taken Mr Solecki with them "after shooting his driver". | |
The man, a Pakistani, later died in hospital. | The man, a Pakistani, later died in hospital. |
Television pictures from the scene of the incident showed a white vehicle with UNHCR markings rammed against a wall. At least one bullet hole was visible on the vehicle. | |
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. | 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 energy-rich province. | There has been low level insurgency in Balochistan driven by groups wanting more autonomy for the energy-rich province. |
Taleban groups have also been active in the region and several of the group's leaders, including Mullah Omar, are believed to be in hiding in the city. | |
Kidnappings of foreigners have increased in Pakistan in the last year, says the BBC's Barbara Plett in the capital, Islamabad, but mostly occur in the north-west, where the Taleban are strongest. |