Kabul, July 06: Sixteen Afghan nationals working for the UN-sponsored demining agency, who were kidnapped over the weekend, have been freed unharmed.
The personnel from the Mine Detection and Dog Centre (MDC) — which is part of the overall UN mine clearing agency in Afghanistan known as UNMACA — were seized by unknown gunmen in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktia province on Saturday.
The provincial tribal chiefs were able to secure the release of the men late on Sunday after making contact with the kidnappers, Sherin Agha Ahmad Shah, head of the MDC in Paktia said on Monday.
“The kidnappers were thieves and the tribal chiefs negotiated the release of the workers without any ransom or any deal,” he told reporters, without giving further details.
However, the Interior Ministry said in a statement that police were also involved in securing the release of the Afghan workers.
Separately, no further information has emerged about two Afghan employees working for Dutch aid agency HealthNet TPO (HNI) — specialized in rehabilitating healthcare systems in war zones and disaster areas — who the Afghan Health Ministry said were abducted in neighboring Khost province on Saturday.
No one claimed responsibility for their abductions.
Kidnapping of Afghans and foreigners has become a lucrative business both for Taliban insurgents and criminal gangs in recent years. Some captives have been killed while others have been released after ransoms were apparently paid.
—–Agencies