Cyd Mizell, American Woman Missing and Kidnapped in Afghanistan
Cyd Mizell, a 49 year old American woman was kidnapped from a residential neighborhood as she was on her way to work in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Masked gunmen kidnapped a burqa-clad American aid worker and her driver. The abduction took place at 7:50 am local time in District 6 on the south side of the downtown.
Cyd Mizell, who worked in Kandahar for the Asian Rural Life Development Foundation, was snatched from a residential neighborhood as she was on her way to work. Jeff Palmer, the aid group’s international director, said the group had not been contacted by the kidnappers and that he did not know their identity or demands.
Asadullah Khalid, the provincial governor, blamed the kidnappings on the “enemy of Islam and the enemy of Afghanistan.” Khalid said the 49-year-old American was wearing a burqa when she was seized.
A Taliban spokesman said he had no immediate information that the Islamic militia was behind the kidnappings.
Kidnappings for ransom are an increasing problem in Afghanistan. Dozens of Afghans have been abducted in the last year, and heavy rumors persist nationwide of foreign governments paying large ransoms to win the freedom of their citizens.
In a likely plea to the woman’s captors, Khalid noted that Mizell respected Afghan traditions by wearing the burqa and speaking the local languages. She did not travel with armed guards, he said.
American Woman Kidnapped in Afghanistan
US woman kidnapped in Afghanistan
An American aid worker has been kidnapped with her driver while travelling to work in a volatile region in southern Afghanistan.
Unknown gunmen took the pair outside of the southern city of Kandahar, said provincial governor Asadullah Khalid.
He said the gunmen had not contacted the government or the aid agency Asian Rural Life Development Foundation, where she worked.
Mr Khalid added that police and intelligence officials were working to find the woman, who he said had lived in the country for years. (BBC)
UPDATE I: Afghan Women Protest American Kidnapping
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — About 500 Afghan women gathered in a rare mass protest Tuesday against the kidnapping of an American aid worker. The women, many wearing burqas, called on officials to find the captive American and urged the kidnappers to release her.
Officials said they still had not identified any suspects in the kidnapping of Cyd Mizell and her Afghan driver, Abdul Hadi. Gunmen abducted the two Saturday in a residential neighborhood of the southern city of Kandahar.
The demonstration by so many Afghan women in the conservative southern province of Kandahar was a rare display of women’s wishes. The 90-minute meeting was filled with prayers and speeches calling on government leaders to act.