Italian woman kidnapped in Kenya freed

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 29 - An Italian woman who was briefly kidnapped by Al-Shabaab terrorists at a fake checkpoint near the town of Witu on the Kenyan coast around 250 km from the border with Somalia was freed by Kenyan police after her short-lived abduction on Thursday.
    The unnamed woman, who also holds a US passport, was taken by the militants, who were disguised as Kenyan army soldiers, The Star reported.
    The Al-Shabaab terrorists fled after a brief firefight with Kenyan police, ANSA learned.
    The Italian embassy in Nairobi kept a close eye on the case in close contact with the crisis unit of the foreign ministry in Rome and offered assistance to the woman via the honorary consul in Malindi, Ivan Del Prete. (ANSA).