News - Afghanistan

Two foreigners, believed to be a Canadian and a US citizen, were reported missing on Friday by a provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan's Wardak province, west of Kabul.

Local officials said that they are feared to have been kidnapped.

"The missing foreigners were in contact until they reached the Kampany area on Kabul's outskirts. After that they lost contact," the provincial police spokesman Abdul Wali told TOLOnews Saturday.

"We have information they may have been kidnapped," he added.

Reuters reported late Friday that a US embassy spokesman in Kabul said there was no information on a missing American. But the report noted that diplomatic officials are often reluctant to talk about kidnappings.

Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs said it was looking into the reports, but gave no confirmation of a missing citizen, Reuters said.

Wardak is one of the less secure provinces with insurgents having kidnapped Afghans along the highways in the past.

The last foreign kidnapping reported in Afghanistan was in May when two Western female doctors working for a Swiss non-government organisation were kidnapped with two Afghan colleagues by insurgent gunmen in northeastern Afghanistan.

They were rescued not long after by Nato special forces soldiers.