Armed men abduct de-miners in Afghanistan

Unknown armed men, presumably Taliban militants abducted a group of de-miners in Logar province on Sunday, provincial police chief Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai said.

"Unidentified armed men abducted a group of de-miners from Daudkhil village, a suburb of provincial capital Pul-e-Alam on Sunday and took them to an unknown location," Ishaqzai told reporters here.

The abducted de-miners have worked for the British-based de- mining agency Halo Trust, involved in identifying and destroying mines and other unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan over the past several years.

All the abducted men are Afghans, he said.

Without giving more details, the police said that operations are underway to locate and ensure the safe release of the abductees.

Although no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, the Taliban militants who are active in Logar province had in the past kidnapped de-miners more than once in the conflict-ridden country. Endi