The Dutch woman kidnapped in Afghanistan on Monday has been named by the Telegraaf as Anja de Beer, who heads up the Afghan office of Swiss aid group Helvetas.

Spokesman Matthias Herfeldt told the paper she had been in charge of the Afghan operation for a year but has been active in the country for 13 years.

News of the kidnapping broke on Monday morning when local media reported the Afghan foreign affairs ministry had confirmed a Dutch woman had been taken.

One foreign journalist in Kabul, Sune Engel Rasmussen, said on Twitter she was taken from a district of Kabul which is popular with foreigners.

Earlier on Monday there was an attack on the Afghan parliament in which some five people were killed and dozens injured.