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Hunt for kidnapped Aussie aid worker

ABC

ABC

The Federal Government is still trying to find an Australian aid worker who was abducted in eastern Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says.

Katherine Jane Wilson, 60, known also as Kerry, was working with Afghan women’s charity Zardozi when she was taken from the NGO’s office in Jalalabad on Thursday morning.

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Ms Bishop said there was a concerted effort to find out who was responsible.

Ms Wilson worked in Afghanistan for 20 years with charities related to women's rights.

Ms Wilson worked in Afghanistan for 20 years with charities related to women’s rights. Photo: Facebook

“We are continuing to work with Afghan authorities and other countries with resources on the ground in Afghanistan, including the British, to ascertain her whereabouts,” she said.

“Her wellbeing is our paramount concern,” Ms Bishop added.

Yesterday, Zardozi’s board chairman Dominic d’Angelo said Ms Wilson was taken from the charity’s office at gunpoint.

“She was taken by two men who approached the door and persuaded the doorkeeper to open up, claiming they were from the National Directorate of Security, which is one of the Afghan security forces,” he said.

Mr d’Angelo said Ms Wilson had worked in Pakistan and Afghanistan for about 20 years and was aware of the risks.

“She’s not working with rose-coloured spectacles, she understands precisely the challenges working in Afghanistan and the risks associated with it,” he said.

Ms Wilson’s father Brian confirmed his daughter knew the risks and always took precautions while working.

“She’s on the security network, it’s always dangerous. There’s always peril in the background,” he said.

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