No good deed shall go unpunished

Two Swedish UN workers in Somalia were kidnapped by Islamist gunmen today during a raid on the town of Hodur. The Swedes were there as part of the UN's mine action service.

Two Swedish nationals working for the United Nations mine action service were kidnapped in Somalia on Saturday by Islamist militants, a UN source told AFP.

Local residents and aid workers said the insurgents attacked the town of Hodur, 370 kilometres west of the Somali capital Mogadishu, around 4:30 am (0130 GMT) but then withdrew.

"The two UN mine action workers were taken from the IMC (International Medical Corps) compound. We don't know their whereabouts and they were taken after Islamists took control of the town," a UN official told AFP on condition of anonymity, saying both were Swedish nationals.

Of the few useful things the UN does, mine action is one of them. Mine action service workers not only carry out unexploded ordnance (UXO) disposal, they educate locals on how to avoid mines and treat and rehabilitate civilians who are too often the victims of forgotten landmines.

No good deed shall go unpunished, at least when it comes to Islamist freakazoids.