A German woman and her Afghan security guard were killed under mysterious circumstances on Saturday night after unidentified gunmen stormed the guesthouse she had been living in in Ayoub Khan Mena, in PD7, of Kabul.
 
According to sources, a Finnish woman who lived in the same house was missing and likely kidnapped.
 
Her whereabouts on Sunday were unknown, the source said.
 
Police reported the attackers stormed the premises at around 9 pm local time and first slashed the guard’s neck.
 
The attackers then made their way up to the second story of the building where they reportedly shot the German woman in the face.
 
Residents in the neighborhood have expressed shock over the killing of the two, and said they did not hear any gunshots.
 
“They had rented the house, they would leave the house in the morning and return at around 4:30 in the afternoon. They would wear our traditional clothes and headscarves, they were not armed and had two guards,” said Abdul Jalil, a resident in the area.
 
The neighbors said at least five foreigners, both male and female, lived in the house and had been there for at least three years.
 
Residents said that the foreigners all spoke Dari and were friendly towards their neighbors.
 
“A foreign national had been killed, one of her guards had his throat slit; they have also taken another woman and it not confirmed who did this,” another resident, Abdul Rahim, said.
 
“Three females and two male foreign nationals were living here for the past two or three years, they had two guards,” said another resident Mohammad.
 
Reports indicate the residents in the house all worked for the same NGO, Operation Mercy, which is a Swedish aid and development organization.
 
However, some people in the area said rumor was that they were missionaries.
 
Kabul police said meanwhile they have launched an investigation into the incident.
 
“Our initial investigations show that they were killed in a mysterious way, first they killed their guard and then entered the room where two women were sleeping; killed one of them and took another one away. Two other women were also in the house who were safely transferred by the police to a safe area,” said MoI spokesman Najib Danish.
 
Kidnapping has become a major problem in Afghanistan, usually affecting Afghan nationals who are abducted for ransom. However, foreigners have increasingly become targets as well. Six months ago, two professors from the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) were kidnapped in the city while on their way home.

Their whereabouts are unknown but it is believed they are being held by Haqqani.