Two employees of US security company missing in Afghanistan

Herat: Two employees of a US security company have gone missing in Afghanistan's western province of Herat, a company official said on Tuesday.

The Indian and Nepalese workers were travelling in a rented taxi when they went missing in Adraskan district on Monday evening, the official said, adding the driver had also disappeared, but the car was abandoned.

Adraskan lies on a main highway where suspected Taliban insurgents and criminals are usually active. The two employees worked for the US security company EOD Technology Inc, which has been involved in helping a newly formed Afghan police force in Herat.

"They have gone missing. We do not know what has happened to them," Sayed Ibrar Hashimi, head of EOD Technology in Herat told reporters.

Abdul Rashid Popal, district chief of Adraskan, said the pair were kidnapped, but he could not say by who or give a motive.

"They have been abducted and we are trying to solve the issue through the involvement of tribal elders," he told reporters.

Several foreigners and dozens of Afghans have been kidnapped in Herat and neighbouring Farah provinces in the past year, mostly by criminal gangs.

Many have been freed after apparent payment of ransom.

In addition to criminals, Taliban militants have also been behind a series of abductions in recent years, including last year's kidnapping of 23 South Korean Christian volunteers.

Two of the hostages were killed before the rest were freed after weeks of captivity.