AFP
Friday, July 22, 2011
Asha Osman Aqiil was named women and family affairs minister on Wednesday. She was kidnapped by the Shebab fighters in Balad town, some 30 kilometres (19 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu.
"Asha Osman Aqiil... is in a jail in Balad town... after she was kidnapped on her way to Mogadishu to take her new post," said Ahmed Sheikh Mohamud, a clan elder.
"It is unfortunate that she is in the hands of the wrong people and we are praying that she is freed," a lawmaker told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Aqiil's kidnapping is likely to cause security concerns for foreign relief groups planning to resume operations Shebab-controlled regions after the rebels lifted a ban on their work and asked for aid in the face of a severe drought.
The hardline rebels rule much of southern and central Somalia where they have imposed strict Islamic laws, including prohibiting women from holding public office.
Source: AFP