Insurgents kidnap British aid worker

A British aid worker has been abducted while working in eastern Afghanistan after an ambush by insurgents.

The unnamed woman was kidnapped along with three Afghans after their convoy of two vehicles was attacked in Kunar province.

Police chased after the kidnappers and a brief gunfight ensued close to the site of the ambush before the men escaped, Kunar police chief Khalilullah Zaiyi said.

The Foreign Office has launched an urgent investigation.

A spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a British national is missing in Afghanistan.

"We are working with other international agencies to urgently investigate these reports."