A German aid organization says three of its employees, who have gone missing for 45 days in Syria, have been likely kidnapped.The organization, Grnhelme, released a statement on its website on Monday, saying that the three men went missing since May 15 in the town of Harem in the Idlib District near the northern border with Turkey.
The three men were identified as an industrial mechanic, a carpenter and a 72-year-old engineer who had only been in Syria a few days.
German Foreign Ministry has formed a crisis committee to help to locate the missing men, but efforts to determine who is holding them have been unsuccessful so far.
The kidnapping was kept secret for more than a month in hope of finding the men or being contacted by the kidnappers for a possible ransom demand, the group's founder, Rupert Neudeck, said.
"We're totally in the dark," Neudeck said, addding, "If the kidnappers wanted a ransom we would have expected to be contacted by now."
He also said the group was surprised at the German media's silence on the issue, adding that "we can no longer remain silent."
German media reported that the aid group has been working in northern Syria since September 2012. The men were helping the organization to reconstruct a local hospital in an area captured by the foreign-backed militants.
Grnhelme, whose name means `Green Helmets' in German, specializes in reconstructing schools and medical facilities in crisis regions.
Turmoil has gripped Syria for over two years, and many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the foreign-sponsored militancy.
By Press TV
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