THE SEARCH FOR KIDNAPPED aid workers in Afghanistan continues today after their abduction yesterday.

The woman, in her 30s, and three Afghan colleagues were kidnapped by gunmen in the north-eastern province Kunar, according to the Guardian, after engaging in a brief gunfight with local authorities.

Today the Daily Mail reports that militants claiming to have custody of the aid workers are calling for the release of Pakistani scientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui in exchange for their British captive.

Siddiqui was sentenced to 86 years in prison by a US court last week for several charges including firing on US troops while in custody in Afghanistan. She denied the charges, and was found guilty in February, according to DAWN.com.

She was charged with attempted murder after grabbing a soldier’s gun and opening fire in July, 2008. She was the only person injured in the incident, when a soldier returned fire and struck her in the stomach.

In February the New York Times reported that her mental competency to stand trial was a contentious issue. Her lawyers claimed she suffers from schizophrenia and during her trial, Siddiqui was removed from court on several occasions for her outbursts.

Prior to sentencing, she disputed her lawyers’ claims that she was suffering from a mental illness, according to the Wall Street Journal.