Taliban claim to have captured Canadian

Taliban insurgentsclaim they have captured an Ontario man who is missing in Afghanistan.

The Taliban published a statement Sunday that claimed a Canadian "spy" had been captured in Ghazni city, in the eastern part of the country.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed thatColin Rutherford is missing in Afghanistan. They said he was travelling throughthe country as a tourist.

"This morning, through an interpreter, CBC contacted a Taliban spokesperson who claims they have taken Rutherford because he was working as a spy and tracking down Taliban fighters," CBC's Peter Akman said Monday.

The Taliban claim to have confiscated some documents from the Ontario man that they say prove he was workingas a secret agent, Akman said.

"The Taliban say Rutherford is being kept somewhere safe and it's expected they'll soon release a video of him," Akman.

Rutherford's Facebook page lists Toronto as his city of residence and shows videos of histravelsthrough Asia, including the disputedKashmir region.

The police chief in Ghazni province confirmed that Rutherford was living in the region for almost a month and that he was seen dressed in local clothing several times.

Canadian officialsare said to be working with Afghan authorities to assist the man's family in securingRutherford's safe release.