The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said five members of its staff have been kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province.

Ramin Ahmad, Spokesman for ICRC in Afghanistan, said on Thursday in Kabul that the five local employees were taken away on Tuesday.

He said that the incident had caused the Red Cross to suspend its activities in the province.

Ahmad said that the abducted aid workers were still alive and that their families had been informed of the incident.

“We had a contact with the team leader on Wednesday, and he confirmed that the ICRC workers are alive.

“We are in touch with Ghazni province security forces for the release of the workers,” he said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping so far.