A former governor and an ex-police chief of the same province have been abducted in Afghanistan, police said on Monday, in the latest of a string of such kidnappings usually blamed on Taliban insurgents.
Armed men snatched Paktia province's ex-governor and former head of police on Sunday while they were attending a prayer service for a person who had recently died, police said.
The men were kidnapped in neighbouring Ghazni province, said Ghazni chief of police, Abdul Rehman Sarjang. The host of the service was also kidnapped, he said.
No one has claimed responsibility for the abduction. Similar kidnappings have been blamed on the Taliban movement, which was forced from power in late 2001 in a US-led offensive and is leading an increasingly deadly insurgency.
Those who have been abducted include Afghan officials as well as foreigners, many of them working on reconstruction projects in remote areas. Several have been killed, including by beheading.
In one of the most recent abductions, an Indian engineer was kidnapped by Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan in late April and his headless body was found two days later.
{{/usCountry}}In one of the most recent abductions, an Indian engineer was kidnapped by Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan in late April and his headless body was found two days later.
{{/usCountry}}The Taliban claimed responsibility for the murder.
The Taliban increasingly mimic many of the tactics of insurgents in Iraq, including kidnappings and suicide bombings.