Somali gunmen (file photo)

Suspected Somali gunmen have kidnapped two Roman Catholic nuns during a raid on a Kenyan border town.

Witnesses say armed men seized the women from their homes in the town of El Wak early Monday and took them across the border to Somalia. They say kidnappers stole at least two vehicles.

Italy's Foreign Ministry says the nuns were Italian. It says Italian envoys in Kenya, including the Vatican nuncio (representative), are working with local authorities to secure the nuns' freedom.

Neither Kenyan nor Somali authorities could identify the kidnappers or say where they had gone. Some reports said the kidnappers probably entered Kenya from Somalia's neighboring Gedo region.

Somali bandits have carried out an increasing number of kidnappings, often targeting foreigners or Somalis working with international organizations.

Last Wednesday, gunmen stormed an airstrip in central Somalia, abducting four European aid workers and their two pilots.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.