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| Africa Horn |
| Search operations continue for aid workers captured in Puntland |
| 2007-12-28 |
| (SomaliNet) Police in Somalia's northern breakaway region of Puntland continued their search operations Thursday for two foreign female aid workers kidnapped a day earlier by gunmen, a minister said, AFP reports. "The policemen are continuing their search operations around the mountainous area where the kidnappers are hiding," Puntland Trade Minister Abdishamad Yusuf Abwan told AFP. The minister could not provide detailed information on the health situation of the two women, a Spanish doctor and an Argentine nurse working for Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders). "We don't know much about them so far but they could be facing difficult conditions because of long hours of walking in rough areas," Abwan said. "It's been more than 24 hours now but no-one can exactly say what their situation is right now," he added. The two women were snatched by armed men in the Puntland port of Bosasso on Wednesday, two days after the release of a French cameraman who was held hostage for eight days. Police hunted down the kidnappers and engaged in an exchange of fire with them on Wednesday, capturing two suspects. On Thursday, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos urged the authorities of Puntland to ensure that the two hostages would not be hurt and added that Spain's ambassador to Kenya was on his way to Somalia. |
| Posted by:Steve White |