Three Kenyan aid workers were abducted
in central Somalia in an attack that also left one of their local colleagues
critically injured.
The aid workers are employees of
Sweden-based relief group International Aid Services, which confirmed the incident in a press statement.
The IAS team was traveling near
Galkayo, Puntland, in north central Somalia on Wednesday (July 11) when it was
attacked by armed men, according to Leif Zetterlund, the head of the relief
group. He added that the team was traveling with an armed escort of local
police officers who were overpowered by the attackers.
There are conflicting reports on where
the three aid workers were taken. IAS said they were taken to an unknown
destination but news agencies who talked to local officials in Puntland cited
at least two possible locations: Garaad and Hobyo.
Both towns are known bases of Somali pirates, fueling suspicion that pirate
groups were involved in the kidnapping.
Kidnappings led by Somali pirates have
increased over the past few years, with aid workers and tourists as common
targets. This latest incident happened just a little over a week after four aid
workers abducted in Kenya were rescued July 2 in Somalia.
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