Thursday, January 5, 2012

Pakistan:


British doctor Khalil Rasjed Dale abducted in Quetta

Khalil Rasjed Dale, a doctor with the International Committee of the Red Cross, was abducted today in Quetta, Pakistan.


January 5, 2012 11:31

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british doctor abducted quetta pakistan 05 01 2012
A Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) guerrilla fighter stands guard near a BLA camp in the scrubland of Bolan, a two-hour drive from Quetta, capital of the Pakistan province of Baluchistan. (Marc Wattrelot/Courtesy)
A British doctor, Khalil Rasjed Dale, has been abducted from the city of Quetta in Pakistan, where he worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
No one has yet claimed responsibility or made demands in return for his release, Reutersreported.
According to the ICRC, Dale was seized at around 1 PM local time from "a clearly-marked ICRC vehicle" just 200 meters from an ICRC property. "Several armed gunmen" carried out the attack, spokesman Christian Cardon toldThe Guardian.
The BBC reported that the area is a designated secure "red zone" in the city center.
Police officers told The Associated Press that a Pakistani doctor and driver were also in the vehicle at the time. They were not kidnapped.
Police are now checking roads leading out of the city, officer Nazeer Kurd said, in a bid to stop the kidnappers leaving Quetta. So far their vehicle has not been traced.
Dale's abduction comes the week after four health workers were kidnapped from the same province,Balochistan. The area is considered extremely dangerous for foreigners due to the presence of armed Taliban supporters and local separatist fighters.
Dale is a health program manager with the ICRC, which is mainly involved in treating local civilians wounded in fighting between rebels and security forces in Pakistan's tribal regions, Reuters said.
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