A Swiss missionary based in the northwestern Malian town of Timbuktu was kidnapped by suspected Islamic militants on Friday. The woman, identified as Beatrice Stockly, was kidnapped for a second time in four years.

Malian security forces have confirmed that Beatrice was abducted by unidentified gunmen from her home in Timbuktu.

"I confirm that a European woman was kidnapped in Timbuktu at 3:30 a.m. (03:30 GMT). A neighbor alerted the security forces around 6 a.m.," Malian army spokesperson Souleymane Maiga said, according to DW.

"Armed men took Béatrice from Timbuktoo. They were armed. They tied her and left with her," a government official said, according to Africanews.

The Swiss foreign ministry confirmed the abuduction, saying that the woman was kidnapped second time.

"The Swiss citizen is the person who was once before kidnapped in Mali in the spring of 2012," the ministry said in a statement, according to swissinfo.

The ministry has formed a special taskforce to achieve the release of the kidnapped woman, the statement added. Read full statement here.

No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. However, involvement of Islamic militants, particularly on Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)-linked Salafi leader Iyad Ag Ghali, has been suspected, according to EFE news agency.

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