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German woman kidnapped in Kabul German woman kidnapped in Kabul
(about 8 hours later)
A German woman has been kidnapped at gunpoint in the heart of the Afghan capital, Kabul. A German woman has been kidnapped at gunpoint in the Afghan capital, Kabul, the first foreigner to be abducted in the city for more than two years.
Reports say she was at a restaurant with her partner when armed men walked in and took her away. The aid worker, who is in her 30s, works for a Christian organisation called Ora International.
Officials said the woman, the first foreigner kidnapped in the city in more than two years, works for an international aid organisation. She was abducted by gunmen while having lunch with her husband at a small restaurant in western Kabul.
The incident comes amid efforts to free 19 South Korean aid workers kidnapped by the Taleban in central Afghanistan. Police fired at the kidnappers' car as it sped away but missed it, hitting a taxi instead and killing its driver.
The kidnapping took place at 1300 local time (0830 GMT) at a centrally located restaurant, hidden from the main road. An investigation into the kidnapping is under way and several houses have been searched.
Rare kidnappings It is not clear who the armed men who abducted the woman are, or what their motivations might be.
The interior minister said the woman was taken by armed men, but it is not yet clear who they were, the BBC correspondent in Kabul, Charles Haviland, reports.
The German woman was having lunch when she was kidnapped
Some reports say she was driven away in a blue Toyota car.Some reports say she was driven away in a blue Toyota car.
The restaurant has been cordoned off and a search is under way, with cars being stopped and searched. Bomb attacks
Although there have recently been several bomb attacks in the city, kidnappings are rare, our correspondent says. Saturday also saw four Afghan engineers abducted while working on a construction project in Kandahar province in the south.
The last instances of foreigners being abducted in the city come from 2005 and 2004. In each case they were released after a few weeks. The BBC's Charles Haviland in Kabul says that although there have recently been several bomb attacks in Kabul, kidnappings are rare in the capital.
The last time a foreigner was abducted in the city was in 2005.
The victim, an Italian woman, was released after a few weeks by the kidnappers, said to have been a criminal gang.
The incident comes amid efforts to free 19 South Korean aid workers kidnapped by the Taleban in central Afghanistan.
In addition to the South Korean aid workers, Afghan officials are also trying to secure the release of a German man kidnapped from Wardak province in June.In addition to the South Korean aid workers, Afghan officials are also trying to secure the release of a German man kidnapped from Wardak province in June.