Afghan officials have said that fears are growing that two Germans who went missing after setting off to climb snow-capped mountains in war-torn Afghanistan could have been kidnapped.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told the media that
unfortunately confirm that two German nationals have gone missing in
Afghanistan, adding that there is an intensive search for them under
way. We are following up on indications that they may have been the
victims of a kidnapping.
Meanwhile, he declined to comment on their identity for understandable reasons.
It is worth mentioning here that the both vanished near the Salang
Pass, a major route through the Hindu Kush mountains connecting the
capital, Kabul, to northern Afghanistan.
One local official suggested they might have been abducted by
nomads. Taliban insurgents are not thought to be active in the
relatively peaceful area where they vanished, just north of the capital
Kabul.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told that the militant, which
is leading a 10-year insurgency in Afghanistan, did not know anything
about the disappearance.
Afghan interior ministry spokesman Siddiq Siddiqui said that they
are aware that two Germans have gone missing somewhere between Baghlan
and Parwan provinces, adding that investigations are under way about
the incident.
The chief of Parwan police said the pair were both men and they had
not informed police about their destination, they had left their driver
and had climbed the mountains.
He said that late in the Friday, the driver informed us that the Germans had not returned from the mountains. SANA
