KABUL, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Afghan security forces have rescued a kidnapped child and broken up a three-member kidnapping gang in eastern Afghanistan's Logar province, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said in a statement late Saturday.
Acting on intelligence tips, security forces pinpointed the kidnappers' location on the outskirts of the province, carried out a targeted raid, and freed the child unharmed, according to the statement.
During the operation, two of the alleged kidnappers were wounded in an exchange of fire with security personnel, while the third was apprehended. The trio is currently in custody for further investigation, the statement added.
In poverty-stricken Afghanistan, criminal gangs, particularly kidnapping rings, frequently target members of affluent families, demanding substantial ransoms in exchange for their release. ■