American Man Kidnapped in Somalia

Posted January 21st, 2012 at 2:35 pm (UTC-5)
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Somali gunmen in the central town of Galkayo have kidnapped an American man, as abductions for ransom continue in the dangerous east African nation.

The man was traveling in a car that was surrounded just as it was leaving the town's airport and that the gunmen reportedly included members of the man's security guard. News reports say the man, has both U.S. and German citizenship.

It is unclear why he is in Somalia. He has been identified both as a journalist working for a German newspaper and as an engineer employed by a company building a port in the coastal town of Hobyo.

Somalia continues to be one of the world's most dangerous nations for foreigners, including aid workers, journalists and private contractors.

In October, an American woman and a Danish man working for a Danish firm were kidnapped in Galkayo. They remain captive.

The town is situated along the border between two semi-autonomous northern regions of Somalia, Puntland and Galmudug.