An Australian citizen has been reported kidnapped in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, Australian officials said Sunday.
The Australian Embassy in Kabul is making urgent inquiries into the reports, a spokeswoman for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.
“Due to the nature of the incident we will not be commenting further,” the statement said. “We continue to advise Australians not to travel to Afghanistan because of the extremely dangerous security situation, including the serious threat of kidnapping.”
No details have been released concerning the identity of the person involved or how he or she was reportedly taken.
Both Afghans and foreigners face the risk of abduction in Afghanistan, with two cases already this year involving Australians.
An Australian aid worker was abducted from her home in Jalalabad in Afghanistan in April, but was freed in August. Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security said Kerry Jane Wilson was released after it conducted a special operation.
An American and an Australian were also kidnapped from American University in Kabul in August. A rescue attempt by US Special Operations Forces from SEAL Team 6 failed when they were not found at the location targeted.
In June, nearly 200 people were kidnapped by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan’s northeastern province of Kunduz, police said. The majority were released but the fighters killed several people and kept around 20 hostage.