Canadian traveller missing in Afghanistan

A Canadian citizen is missing in Afghanistan after travelling to the country as a tourist, the Foreign Affairs Department says.

The department made the statement Sunday after a Taliban news release earlier in the day that claimed a Canadian "spy" had been captured in Ghazni city.

Canadian officials are working with Afghan authorities to assist the family in securing the safe release of Colin Rutherford, a spokesman for the department said in an email to CBC News on Sunday.

The spokesman's email also said Foreign Affairs is aware of the Taliban release.

Afghan media reports cited a purported Taliban spokesman saying the man was captured in the eastern Afghan city a week ago.

The Canadian military said no one is missing from its ranks in the eastern part of the country, the CBC's Peter Ackman reported from Kandahar.

"They have no one missing, be it civilian or military, that they know about," Ackman said. "But that doesn't mean there isn't a Canadian here."

The Canadian government says it strongly advises against all travel to Afghanistan.