Nepalis 'abducted' in Afghanistan

By Mark Dummett
BBC News, Kabul

Police are not saying who they think snatched the men

Afghan police are investigating the kidnapping of two Nepalese men seized while they were walking to work in central Kabul on Saturday morning.

A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said the men, who are thought to work for a private security firm, were abducted at 0530 local time (0100 GMT).

He did not say if police suspected criminals or militants, or if they had made contact with the kidnappers.

The kidnap of foreigners is rare in Afghanistan.

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An Italian aid worker in Kabul was held last year by a criminal gang for 24 days, before being released unharmed.

Before that, three UN election observers were also seized by criminals before they too were released.

Outside the city the abduction of Afghans is more common and sometimes blamed on the Taleban.

Western embassies warned their nationals in January that a kidnapping threat existed.

Separately, foreigners in the city have been told to take extra precautions following a week of sometimes violent demonstrations against the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.