South Asia News
Greek aid volunteer kidnapped in Pakistan
Sep 9, 2009, 6:56 GMT
Islamabad - A Greek aid volunteer was kidnapped in Pakistan's northern Chitral district bordering Afghanistan, media reports said on Wednesday.
More than a dozen gunmen invaded the house of Athanasius Lerounis on Tuesday in the region's scenic Kalash valley and seized him after killing a police guard, The News daily reported.
A Pakistani associate of the Greek man was also taken hostage but released unharmed.
Lerounis has been living in the Kalash valley with his wife for the last 15 years and working on cultural and community projects.
The English-language Dawn newspaper said it was believed the kidnappers took Lerounis to the neighbouring Afghan province of Nuristan.
Chitral enjoys a largely peaceful history but its proximity to war-torn Afghanistan leaves it vulnerable to insurgent violence.
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