Afghan widows who receive monthly ration from CARE International aid agency, hold placards and a photograph of Italian aid worker Clementina Cantoni in Kabul May 17, 2005. Afghan authorities launched an investigation on Tuesday into the kidnapping of an Italian aid worker seized from a car by gunmen on a street in the capital Kabul, an Italian embassy official said.

Cantoni from Lombardy, who works for the CARE International aid agency, was kidnapped at about 8:30 p.m (1600 GMT) on Monday evening after the vehicle she was travelling in was intercepted and blocked by another car. Four gunmen grabbed her from her car, bundled her into a white Toyota car and drove away, security officials said.