(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Gunmen on Saturday kidnapped a Romanian security officer working at a mine in northern Burkina Faso and fled with him towards the border with Mali, security sources in both countries said.
The man was seized when five armed men attacked a patrol at the manganese mine in Tambao, the mine's director general Souleymane Mien told AFP.
A gendarmerie officer and a driver who were in the same car as the Romanian national were injured after coming under fire in the attack, he said.
The policeman was hit in the head, chest and the pelvis. The driver was shot in the thigh, he added.
The account was confirmed by a Burkinabe police official.
"First they fired at the policeman, seriously injuring him, before kidnapping the Romanian man who was not armed," the source told AFP.
The unidentified gunmen then took off in the direction of the nearby frontier with Mali, according to security officials in both countries.
"The perpetrators of the abduction were heading for the Malian border, we have sent men to try to intercept them," a Malian security source said.
The Burkinabe authorities confirmed the abduction took place but said the attackers had fled towards the northeastern border with Niger.
"Investigations are currently under way to track down the assailants, who fled in the direction of the Burkina-Niger border," the government said in a statement read on national television, condemning the "barbaric and cowardly" attack.
Kidnappings of foreigners, often for ransom, occasionally occur in neighbouring Mali and Niger but not usually in Burkina Faso, a landlocked Sahel country.
There was no immediate indication of who was behind the attack.
"They were wearing turbans. We don't know who they are because there are several communities living in this area," said Mien.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.