Komfie Manalo - AHN News Writer
Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Regional deputy police chief Nuriye AliFahah told Xinhua news agency, "Heavily armed gunmen kidnapped two Italians and a Somali national working for an aid agency in Awdegle village."

He said the police were now tracking the kidnappers as they have already identified the direction in which they gunmen escaped as well as the vehicles they used for the crime.

Witnesses says the armed men attacked the offices of the aid workers and roused them from sleep before forcing them to board a minibus then escaped.

Resident Yusuf Jimale adds, "It was late into the night and there were few gunshots before they drove away with their hostages.

It was still unclear who was responsible for the kidnapping but earlier, Somali insurgents pldged to target foreign aid workers after a U.S. air strike this month killed the head of the al-Shahab militant group.

Al-Shabab is the militant wing of the UIC, which use to hold capital in the country in 2006 before being ousted by Somali security forces backed by the Ethiopian army.

Source: AHN, May 21, 2008