Kabul - Hundreds of local villagers and security forces were searching the area for a Japanese aid worker, who along with his Afghan driver was kidnapped Tuesday in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, officials said. "The two men's vehicle was stopped by a group of unknown gunmen in Badyalai village in Khewa district," said a police official who did not want to be named.
"The Japanese aid worker and his driver were dragged out of their vehicle and were taken to an unknown location," the source said.
Ghafour Khan, provincial police chief, also confirmed the abduction and said police forces were deployed to the area to track down the kidnappers.
Hundreds of local villagers and security forces surrounded a mountain, where they believed the kidnappers were hiding, Hazarat Ali, a member of parliament from the area told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
"The people are very angry with the kidnapping, because the NGO was bringing water to the area from Kunar River and was building a school in their area," Ali said.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Tuesday's abduction of Kazuya Ito, 31, and his Afghan driver and no ransom request has been received.
However, Japanese media reported that Peshawar-kai, the aid group the men work for, started negotiations with the kidnappers with the cooperation of local leaders.
Ito, from central Japan, had been conducting volunteer work as an agricultural specialist for Peshawar-kai since December 2003. The non-governmental organization has been assisting in digging wells and building irrigation systems.
Taliban militants, who lost power in US-led invasion in late 2001, have been behind several kidnappings in the past, while abduction for ransom by criminal gangs have also become common in Afghanistan.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry set up a task force in Tokyo and at its embassy in Kabul to deal with the case.
This is the first time that a Japanese aid worker has been kidnapped in the country. Japan is one of the largest donors to Afghanistan.
