Briton kidnapped in Afghanistan

The abduction, believed to be by fighters allied to the Taliban, took place while the man was travelling in an armed convoy near Farah in the west of the country towards a US-run camp. The convoy, with police outriders, was overtaken by three cars and forced to halt. During a gunfight at least one vehicle escaped but the occupants say gunmen made the Briton and an Afghan interpreter drive their car away.

A Filipino employee of the company managed to escape and was later found hiding under a bridge. He said the rebels appeared to be trying to detach cars containing foreigners from the rest of the convoy.

The Briton was working on a road construction project run by a Turkish company. The Foreign Office said further details identifying him were being withheld at the request of his family.