U.N. relief official kidnapped in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Gunmen in southern Pakistan kidnapped a senior U.N. official and fatally shot his driver Monday, the United Nations said.

Local police said John Solecki, head of the U.N. refugee office in Baluchistan province, was ambushed and kidnapped Monday in Quetta, the province's capital, while traveling to work from his home, The Washington Post reported. The driver died of wounds he received during the gun battle.

Details weren't immediately available about Solecki, but Pakistani authorities said he is a U.S. citizen who worked in Quetta for about two years at the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Amena Kamaal, a U.N. spokeswoman in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, confirmed a U.N. official was abducted in Quetta, but said she was unable to release more details pending notification of the man's family.

Lou Fintor, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, said the embassy was informed of the kidnapping and fatal shooting.

Abductions and assassinations of foreign visitors and aid workers have increased in Pakistan during the last year, the Post said.

Kamaal said the latest incident in Quetta raised alarms about working in Pakistan, but added she thought it was unlikely U.N. operations in the country would cease.

"I don't think there's any question that our work will continue because it is badly needed, but there certainly is likely to be discussion about beefing up security," Kamaal said.