Wednesday, December 26, 2007
(Adds background, deputy governor quotes)
"I was driving the two Spanish women to the local hospital, then six men armed with guns approached me, blocking the road," the Somali driver, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
"They hit me very badly and kidnapped the women in their car."
The abduction in Bosasso port came two days after gunmen in Puntland released French journalist Gwen Le Gouil, whom they kidnapped and held for eight days demanding $80,000 in ransom.
Known for its relative stability compared with chaotic south
Somali kidnappers are known to treat their captives well and almost never kill them, viewing them as an investment on which they expect a return in the form of ransom.
Local authorities said they were gathering information.
"We heard that two Spanish women working for MSF have been abducted. We are investigating," the region's deputy governor, Yusuf Mumin Bidde, told Reuters.
Foreigners in