Gunmen abduct American and Australian in Kabul

Two university professors — an American and an Australian — were kidnapped in Kabul by gunmen wearing Afghan military uniforms, Afghan officials said Monday.

The incident occurred Sunday evening when the gunmen stopped the professors’ car near the American University of Afghanistan, where both worked, officials said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said the foreigners, whose identities were not revealed, were on their way home from the university when they were seized.

A police officer who responded to the incident said the gunmen broke the car’s passenger window to stop the vehicle before kidnapping the victims.

The officer was not authorized to speak to the media.

The driver of the car, an Afghan, survived and was being questioned by authorities.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, the Afghan capital, confirmed that a U.S. citizen was abducted but did not offer further details.

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“U.S. Embassy security officials are working closely with Afghan law enforcement and security colleagues and AUAF [the university] to assist in the investigation into the kidnapping,” the embassy said in a statement.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a statement confirming “the apparent kidnapping of an Australian in Kabul,” the Associated Press reported.

The university, established after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan as part of the massive U.S. redevelopment effort, bills itself as the only private nonprofit institute of higher education in the country.

In 2013 it had more than 1,000 students, 30% of whom were female, according to university figures.

University staff members have suffered before in Afghanistan’s violence. In 2014, two Americans, Lexie Kamerman and Alexandros Petersen, were among 21 people killed in a Taliban raid on a popular Lebanese restaurant in Kabul.

The number of foreigners residing in Kabul has dropped sharply in recent years with the drawdown of U.S.-led international military forces and deteriorating security.

Kidnapping by suspected criminal gangs is seen as a growing threat. At least three other foreigners were abducted in Kabul this year; all have been released.

Special correspondent Faizy reported from Kabul and Times staff writer Bengali from Tehran.

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UPDATES:

5:20 a.m.: This article has been updated with staff reporting.

This story was originally published at 2:15 a.m.