Chief_Adviser
Number of posts : 615
Age : 41
City/Town : in ur heart .
Registration date : 2008-06-10
 |  Subject: Brac staff abducted in Afghanistan............  Sat Oct 25, 2008 12:37 pm | |
|  Two Brac officials were kidnapped Thursday from the Ghazni province of Afghanistan, where they both had been working for the last three years, Brac announced Saturday.
Both Akhter Ali and Mohammad Shahjahan Ali were Area Managers for BRAC Afghanistan, Brac said.
Last year, Abdul Alim, a Brac official, was killed on Sept 12 by unidentified gunmen. Three days later, another Brac executive, Nurul Islam, was kidnapped on Sept 15 but released after 83 days.
The Brac headuarters in Dhaka quoted the BRAC Afghanistan authorities in Kabul to make details of the latest incident public.
"Akhter and Shahjahan were abducted at gunpoint by four men from BRAC Afghanistan's Moi Mobarok branch office in the provincial capital, Ghazni City, where they had travelled as part of their regular office visit schedule.
"During the attack, the manager of the branch office, Hasmatullah, an Afghani national, was also severely beaten. The identities of the attackers are yet to be confirmed.
"In immediate response, BRAC Afghanistan authorities contacted the Afghani Minister of Interior, Hanif Atmar, Thursday night to inform him of the incident.
"Mr. Atmar assured BRAC that the Afghan authorities would provide all necessary support in rescuing the two BRAC staff members.
"He also communicated with his Advisor of Security and conveyed a message to the Ghazni police.
"BRAC Afghanistan authorities also informed the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the Afghan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development of the incident and are now in continuous communication with the Afghan authorities regarding the matter," a Brac statement said.
"A high level team has been sent to Ghazni from the BRAC Afghanistan head office in Kabul to gather information and to liaise with the Afghani authorities, including the Governor and Chief Security Officer of Ghazni," Brac said.
"Senior BRAC Afghanistan officials will also meet with the Afghan Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Ehsan Zia, on Sunday."
The BRAC statement said officials in Bangladesh have been in touch with the families of Akhter and Shahjahan, providing all necessary support.
Ghazni is one of thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, with its capital in Ghazni City. The province lies in the eastern part of the country, south-west of Kabul.
BRAC Afghanistan has been working in Ghazni for the last three years. Telephone networks in Ghazni have been inoperative for the last four days, making communication extremely difficult. | |
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