Mogadishu (Sunatimes) The British Save the Children charity group has asked Somali militants to release its captured security expert officer with out any conditions and further delay.

The expert who also holds a Zimbabwean citizenship has been kidnapped on Thursday with a Somali colleague. But his Somali colleague was released and the gunmen are now holding the British-Zimbabwean worker for ransom.

Somali local leaders are negotiating with the kidnappers of the Briton snatched by gunmen near the Ethiopian border.

Save the Children spokeswoman Anna Ford said on Friday the charity had been assessing the possibility of establishing a relief program for malnourished children and their families in the area.

"We are extremely concerned about the welfare of those being held and urgently call upon whoever is holding them captive to release them unconditionally," she said.

Adado was engulfed by heavy clashes on Friday when fighters of the Ahlu Sunna attacked and captured the town from a local militia that had been controlling it.

By Yahye M

Bar Kulan Radio