Russia’s embassy in Pakistan says it is verifying reports that one of its citizens was abducted

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Russia’s embassy in Pakistan said Tuesday it is attempting to verify reports that one of its citizens was abducted in the South Asian nation’s troubled northwest.

The embassy provided no further details in a post on the social media platform X.

The announcement by the embassy came days after a small militant group headed by commander Gul Bahadur said it captured a Russian national in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The group released a photo showing a man sitting with two bearded men. Local police said they have not been approached by the Russian Embassy about the reported abduction.

Insurgents often attack Pakistani security forces and foreigners, especially Chinese working on Chinese-funded projects across the country, but Russians have not previously been targeted.

Most Russians who travel to Pakistan are climbers who scale mountains in the scenic north.