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Gunmen Kidnap German Aid Worker in Northern Somalia


Somali officials say gunmen have kidnapped a German aid worker after ambushing his car in northern Somalia.

Officials say the man was seized Tuesday in the Sanag region.

Local officials say the man's driver was wounded when gunmen opened fire on their vehicle. Another German woman traveling in the car was left behind unharmed.

The German aid agency Agro Action has confirmed that one of its employees was kidnapped. In Berlin, the German Foreign Ministry said it is investigating the incident.

It is not clear what motivated the abduction.

Sanag is a disputed area claimed by Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region and by the breakaway republic of Somaliland.

Northern Somalia has been relatively peaceful compared to the south, where the interim government is fighting an Islamist insurgency. But attacks on foreigners in the north have increased in recent months.

In December, two foreign medical workers and a French cameraman were seized in Puntland in separate incidents. All three were later released.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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