Malawi police rescue kidnapped British woman after exchange of gunfire

BLANTYRE, Sept 18 (Reuters) — Malawi police said they had rescued a British woman who was kidnapped last week, in an intelligence-led operation in which the kidnappers were shot and later died. Police said 47-year-old British national Nusrat Osman was abducted by four unidentified men in the city of Blantyre's Mount Pleasant suburb on September 11. She was rescued on Thursday and reunited with her family, the Malawi Police Service said in a statement dated September 17. The motive of the kidnapping is not clear. The operation to rescue Osman involved an exchange of fire between police and the kidnappers, who were armed with an AK-47 rifle and a pistol. The kidnappers were shot during the operation and later died in hospital from their injuries. The senior police officer who was wounded is in hospital in a stable condition. Investigations into the kidnapping are continuing. (Reporting by Frank Phiri; Writing by Anathi Madubela; Editing by Alexander Winning and Toby Chopra) ((mailto:Anathi.Madubela@thomsonreuters.com;)