H.E. President Karzai condemns abduction of international workers in Afghanistan

Kabul, October 29, 2004 - Afghan interim President Hamid Karzai strongly condemned the abduction of three international workers working on the country's first presidential elections and vowed to go all out for their release, a statement from the presidential palace said Friday.

"The President condemns it in the strongest terms and sees it as an act of enmity against the Afghan people aimed at derailing the process of peace and prosperity," the statement said. "Whatever the motive, it's a criminal act."

Three foreigners from the Philippines, Britain and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina working with the UN-Afghan Joint Electoral Management Body were kidnapped by a group of armed men on their way to work in the broad daylight in the early afternoon of Thursday in Kabul. This is the first of its kind in the capital.

A branch of the now-ousted Taliban regime has claimed responsibility for the act. However, it has not made known its motive behind the kidnapping.

The statement released by a presidential spokesperson also said that the authorities have been strongly pursuing the case and some progress has been made, but it did not elaborate.

Local media reports said that three individuals suspected of involvement in the kidnapping were apprehended by law enforcing forces and the search and rescue action is still going on.