An official says gunmen have kidnapped 11 land mine clearers in western Afghanistan.
Rauf Ahmadi, the spokesman for the police chief of the western Herat province, said today that a military operation has been launched in the area, with six suspects detained. He says tribal elders had earlier tried negotiating the de-miners' release.
He says all 11 were Afghans employed by the HALO Trust mine clearing organization. They were abducted Friday. Abduction for ransom is widespread in lawless Afghanistan, and de-miners are soft targets as they usually work in remote regions.
After almost 40 years of war, Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
