American Woman Kidnapped In Afghanistan

Crap. What an American woman is doing in volatile Afghanistan is beyond me and at the same time, her driver was taken hostage as well - usually when they say "her driver" , they mean a local Afghan. They were stopped and then taken by gunmen outside of Kandahar. You'll see in the story many references to the fact that the American woman was wearing a burqa - big deal. It's like the AP is suggesting that if she wasn't, she REALLY would deserve to be kidnapped. The AP still thinks it's a religion, apparently.
So, I guess the hostage stakes game starts now - I think the Taliban (who either took her or will end up with her) will find out that the U.S. doesn't deal like the Italians and they will also find out that unlike the South Koreans who muddled over things for weeks, the Americans will be very swift in response - that response being special ops forces intent on rescue and retribution. If fact, they are more than likely on the trail as I type here.

Here's the full story.

American woman kidnapped in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Gunmen kidnapped a burqa-clad American aid worker and her driver while they were traveling through southern Afghanistan early Saturday, a provincial governor said. The two were stopped by gunmen outside the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, said Gov. Asadullah Khalid. He blamed the kidnapping on the "enemy of Islam and the enemy of Afghanistan." Khalid said the 49-year-old American had been wearing a burqa when she was taken. She worked for the aid agency Asian Rural Life Development Foundation, he said.

The U.S. Embassy said it had no immediate information. Khalid said the gunmen had not contacted the government or the aid organization. He said police and intelligence officials were trying to track her down. The group runs food-for-work, irrigation rehabilitation, health care and restoration projects around Kandahar, according to its Web site.

Several Westerners -- including two German construction workers and two Italian journalists _ have been kidnapped in Afghanistan in the last year, but this was the first kidnapping of an American in recent memory