Gunmen kidnapped a top American UN official and killed his driver here on Monday. John Solecki, head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Quetta, was snatched at gunpoint while travelling to work. Unknown gunmen ambushed Solecki's vehicle, which was marked with United Nations insignia, and opened fire, wounding the driver who later died of his injuries, UN officials and police said.
"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 told AFP. "They opened fire. His driver was wounded and died on the way to hospital. The gunmen took him (Solecki) away to an unknown location," he said.
A white jeep bearing the light blue UNHCR markings stood dead-ended into a brick wall. A small pool of blood could be seen on the pavement next to the driver's door. Diplomats in Islamabad and an aid worker speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity confirmed Solecki was American.
The United Nations strongly condemned the kidnapping and the killing of the driver, Syed Hashim, expressing "extreme shock and dismay" and emphasising that it was "taking all possible measures to secure" Solecki's release. "We strongly condemn this attack on humanitarian workers in Pakistan who have been doing their utmost to deliver their humanitarian mission," said the United Nations from Islamabad.
The deputy inspector general of Balochistan police, Wazir Khan Nasir, said it was "too early to say who might be involved" in Solecki's abduction, but said authorities had extended adequate security to UN agencies in the area. Another police official told AFP: "We cannot rule out that militants were involved given their activities all over the country, especially in the north-west.
"But it is difficult to say which group may have been involved in the incident because there are many groups as well as the Taliban that are operating in the country." Meanwhile, UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Monday called for the immediate release of a top American UN official who was apparently kidnapped in Quetta.
The secretary general "calls for the immediate and safe release" of John Solecki, UN deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe told a press briefing. Okabe said Ban, who is currently attending a summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa, was "deeply distressed" to learn about the attack on the two UNHCR staffers in Quetta.
"He condemns, in the strongest terms, attacks on UN staff who serve the neediest people around the world," she added in a statement. "Such acts are aimed, not only against UN personnel, but also against those they serve selflessly and with dedication."