Incident: Abduction, Somalia

Robert McCarthy, a UNICEF international staff member from the U.S., was abducted today on the outskirts of Afmadow, 110 kilometres north west of Kismayo in the Lower Juba region of Somalia. (3/2/06) Sounds criminal versus political, with a ransom demaned. Updates here and here. (3/3/06) McCarthy was released unharmed, and while no ransom was officially paid, the abductors were compensated for "past dues" owed to them by the government.