Kerry Jane Wilson, 60, was abducted from her charity organisation's office in the eastern city of Jalalabad early on Thursday morning by two men who talked their way past the front gate by posing as officers of the country's internal security agency.

Dominic d'Angelo, the charity's chairman, said on Monday that to the best of his knowledge, there still had been no contact from the kidnappers, though he stressed this was not itself a reason for additional concern.

"In previous cases where internationals have been kidnapped, they can be resolved very quickly, in a matter of days. Sometimes it can extend much longer. The windows vary in terms of how long it takes for kidnappers to make contact," Mr d'Angelo said.

"I'm not aware that anyone's been contacted by anyone. We're just waiting to get information about where she is or any information from people who claim to be holding."

A woman who was kidnapped last year while working for a Swiss development organisation in Afghanistan was reportedly held for 81 days before being released.

Mr d'Angelo said local authorities had been interviewing employees of the charity, which is called Zardozi. Some but not all had been released.

Jalalabad in Afghanistan's east, is regarded as a hot spot of Taliban activity and the Islamic State group has also reportedly established a presence there. But Mr d'Angelo and some experts on Afghanistan have said that the kidnappers might just be local criminals looking for a ransom.

Dr Wilson founded Zardozi, which helps Afghan women start businesses and sell their products such as crafts and textiles, in 2005. She had lived in Afghanistan for about 20 years.

She was kidnapped about 5am on Thursday from the charity's office in Jalalabad by two men who talked their way past the guard by claiming to be officers from the National Directorate of Security, Mr d'Angelo has said.

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