15 de-miners kidnapped in Afghanistan

As many as 15 de-miners were kidnapped in Afghanistan's western Herat province, an official said on Saturday.

"At least 15 personnel of a mine clearance agency were on their way to Kohsan district on Friday when unidentified people kidnapped them," Xinhua quoted spokesman for the provincial government Jilani Farhad as saying.

Without identifying the de-mining agency, the official, however, blamed Taliban militants for the abduction.

Several de-mining agencies have been operating in the conflict-ridden Afghanistan over the past three decades to locate and remove landmines and unexploded devices left over from wars and conflicts in the country.