Suspected Islamist militants kidnapped a senior American UN official in the Pakistani city of Quetta yesterday and killed his driver in a rare high-profile abduction to rock the insurgency-plagued southwest.
Pakistani police said John Solecki, head of the UN refugee agency in Quetta, was abducted as he traveled to work in the city, the capital of Baluchistan Province bordering Afghanistan.
“He is an American national and his name is John Solecki. He is head of the sub-office of UNHCR-Quetta,” local police official Khalid Masood said, in reference to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The official was snatched from his vehicle while traveling to work in Quetta, where a regional insurgency, sectarian violence and attacks blamed on the Taliban occur.
“The UNHCR regional chief was on his way to [his] office when ambushed by unknown gunmen,” Masood said.
“They opened fire. His driver was wounded and died on the way to hospital,” Masood said.
“The gunmen took him [the UN official] away to an unknown location,” the police official said.
A white jeep, with the blue insignia of the UNHCR, had apparently veered off the road and smashed into a brick wall. A small pool of blood could be seen on the pavement next to the driver’s door, a photographer said.
Diplomatic officials in Islamabad and an aid worker speaking to reporters under cover of anonymity confirmed Solecki was American.
A UN spokeswoman confirmed the head of UNHCR in Quetta had been kidnapped and gave his name, but refused to confirm his nationality.
Although a frequent hazard in northwest Pakistan, foreign kidnappings in Baluchistan are rare.
The last foreign abduction reported in Baluchistan was in 1991 when a group of Afghan fighters kidnapped three Chinese engineers and took them across the border into Afghanistan. They were later released.
A UN official confirmed only that a colleague working for the UNHCR had been kidnapped in Quetta.
“I can confirm this unfortunate incident of a UN colleague’s kidnapping this morning in Quetta and injuries to his driver,” information officer Ishrat Rizvi said by telephone in the Pakistan capital Islamabad.
“The UN is working with police and concerned officials to ensure that all appropriate measures are taken to address this situation,” she said.
A local aid worker in the area, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the kidnapped UNHCR officer was an expatriate.
Quetta city police chief Humayun Jogezai confirmed the incident and said paramilitary officers had been placed on standby.
“We have alerted the Frontier Corps and they are ready to act swiftly on any tip-off about the man who has been kidnapped,” Jogezai said. “We will not waste a minute in raiding any place where we think this man is being held hostage.”
Another police official said on condition of anonymity that “religious elements” may have been involved, adopting a euphemism for Islamist militants.
The driver of the UN vehicle was a Shiite, he said.
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