Unidentified Armed Men Kidnap Red Cross Employee in Afghanistan

A member of staff working for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was abducted in Afghanistan by the unidentified armed men, according to official statement.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A group of armed men kidnapped an employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Afghanistan, ICRC said on Monday.

"A member of staff working for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been abducted in Afghanistan. It happened around 11am local time [06:30 GMT], on Monday morning," ICRC said in a statement.

The unidentified armed men stopped two vehicles with ICRC staff members traveling from the city of Mazar-e-Sharif to Kunduz and took one of the employees, ICRC added.

The Committee is currently in contact with various authorities to secure the release of the employee.

The situation in Afghanistan has significantly deteriorated in recent months. It is suffering from the activity of the Taliban, a militant group formed in the 1990s, seeking to establish Sharia law in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and from other terrorist groups like Islamic State, banned in Russia and many other countries.