Red Cross Workers Abducted In Syria

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says gunmen have abducted six of its workers and one Red Crescent volunteer in north-west Syria.

The aid agency has had no contact with the gunmen, an ICRC spokesman says.

Syrian state news agency Sana earlier quoted an unnamed official as saying the workers were abducted and taken to an unknown location after gunmen blocked their path and shot at their convoy.

The identity, gender or nationality of the abducted workers have not been revealed, but they are believed to include both local and international staff, who are mainly medical specialists.

The abduction will clearly complicate further the already difficult and dangerous task of providing humanitarian aid to all parts of the country at a time when the UN is pressing all sides to allow freer access.