UN receives support on Afghanistan abductions

Afghans calling an official hotline in Kabul have expressed their solidarity with the United Nations over the abduction of its three staff members a week ago, authorities told the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) today.

In a related development Afghan President Hamid Karzai, in an address to the nation on Thursday, underscored the work that the UN staff have been doing on behalf of the Afghan people, saying "with the help of God, we will manage to get them safely released."

Shqipe Hebibi, Annetta Flanigan and Angelito Nayan were abducted by armed gunmen from their UN vehicle on 28 October in the Afghan capital of Kabul. They had been contracted by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to work on the country's first-ever presidential elections last month.