German couple kidnapped in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Police in Afghanistan reported Monday that a German couple were kidnapped in western Afghanistan while en route to oversee a humanitarian project.

No one claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, KUNA, Kuwait's news service reported. The husband was reported to be a German national who converted to Islam and the wife was Afghan.

Meanwhile, U.S.-led coalition forces killed at least 20 Taliban fighters during a military operation in the Zerai district of Kandahar province, a former Taliban stronghold, police told KUNA.

Also, security officials in Afghanistan blamed Taliban insurgents Monday for two roadside bombings that killed seven people in the country's south.

In the country's southern Uruzgan province, police said a bomb fastened to a bicycle standing beside a road exploded Sunday, killing five members of a family, including three children, KUNA reported.

In southeastern Afghanistan, police said a blast Sunday killed two civilians in Khost province, bordering Pakistan's troubled Waziristan province. No one claimed responsibility for the blasts.

A Taliban message was posted on the Internet about the kidnapping of a tribal chief and his bodyguards the northern Baghlan province, KUNA said. Local officials confirmed the unidentified chief was missing, authorities said.