American, Australian kidnapped in Afghan capital

Reuters - Afghan authorities are searching for an Australian and an American who were kidnapped by gunmen in the capital, Kabul, officials said on Monday.

The pair, believed to be affiliated with a Kabul university, was taken by four or five gunmen from a nearby road late on Sunday, said an official with the Ministry of Interior who spoke on condition of anonymity.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the abduction.

The Australian Embassy in Kabul confirmed one of its citizens had apparently been abducted but said it would not comment further due to privacy and safety considerations.

“We continue to advise Australians not to travel to Afghanistan because of the extremely dangerous security situation, including the serious threat of kidnapping,” Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement it was aware of reports an American had been kidnapped but had no other information to offer.