US, Danish Aid Workers Kidnapped in Somalia

Three aid workers who were helping to remove land mines in northern Somalia have been kidnapped by gunmen who attacked their convoy. The three—a 32-year-old American woman, a 60-year-old Danish man, and a Somali colleague—were seized on their way to an airport and security officials believe they are now in the hands of pirates, the AP reports.

"We shall treat them humanely and kindly. Our aim is all about a ransom, not harming them," says a pirate spokesman, who claims pirates have been forced to look for targets on land because capturing ships is becoming more difficult. The kidnapped employees work for the Danish Demining Group, which clears mines in conflict zones throughout Africa in the Middle East. (More Somalia stories.)