Pakistan: British doctor Khalil Rasjed Dale abducted in Quetta

GlobalPost

A British doctor, Khalil Rasjed Dale, has been abducted from the city of Quetta in Pakistan, where he worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

No one has yet claimed responsibility or made demands in return for his release, Reuters reported.

More from GlobalPost: Police search for kidnapped American in Pakistan

According to the ICRC, Dale was seized at around 1 PM local time from "a clearly-marked ICRC vehicle" just 200 meters from an ICRC property. "Several armed gunmen" carried out the attack, spokesman Christian Cardon told The Guardian.

The BBC reported that the area is a designated secure "red zone" in the city center.

Police officers told The Associated Press that a Pakistani doctor and driver were also in the vehicle at the time. They were not kidnapped.

Police are now checking roads leading out of the city, officer Nazeer Kurd said, in a bid to stop the kidnappers leaving Quetta. So far their vehicle has not been traced.

Dale's abduction comes the week after four health workers were kidnapped from the same province, Balochistan. The area is considered extremely dangerous for foreigners due to the presence of armed Taliban supporters and local separatist fighters.

Dale is a health program manager with the ICRC, which is mainly involved in treating local civilians wounded in fighting between rebels and security forces in Pakistan's tribal regions, Reuters said.

More from GlobalPost: State-sponsored killing plague Pakistan

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.