Indian aid worker abducted from Herat in Afghanistan

The abduction comes over a week after the attack on the Indian consulate in Herat by four heavily-armed gunmen carrying rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns.

The attackers were subsequently killed by the security forces, who repelled the attack.

Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh flew to Herat on Friday and reviewed the situation following the May 23 attack on the Indian consulate.

She held meetings in the Afghan capital on Saturday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani - the two presidential candidates - who asserted that friendship with India would remain a “top priority” for any new government here.

Afghanistan is experiencing a rise in the Taliban attacks as foreign troops plan to withdraw from the war-torn country by the end of the year.