(Adds regional president's comments)

By Abdiqani Hassan

BOSASSO, Somalia, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Security forces pursued Somali kidnappers into a mountainous hideout on Wednesday hours after they abducted a Spanish and an Argentine aid worker from the medical charity Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF).

The two women -- Spanish doctor Mercedes Garcia and Argentine nurse Pilar Bouza -- were in a car on their way to a hospital in the morning when they were ambushed by men with machine guns.

It was the latest in a string of such abductions in the semi-autonomous northern Puntland region.

Local troops pursued the kidnappers, surrounded them and engaged in a gunfight shortly after, witnesses and officials said.

But after two of the six abductors were captured, the rest escaped with the women into a highland area south of Bosasso.

"The last report I received indicates that the hostages are doing fine," Puntland President Adde Muse told Reuters late on Wednesday.

"Our troops are still after the kidnappers. We will do everything we can to free these two women, who were doing a great job feeding the helpless children of Bosasso."

The abduction came two days after gunmen in Puntland released French journalist Gwen Le Gouil, whom they kidnapped and held for eight days demanding $80,000 in ransom.

U.N. envoy to Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said he was "shocked" by the latest kidnapping and urged the pair's release.

ARMED MEN

Known for its relative stability compared with chaotic south Somalia, Puntland has, however, become increasingly associated with kidnappings, hijackings and piracy.

The MSF pair's driver, who asked not to be named, said he was beaten up by the kidnappers when they seized the women.

"Six men armed with guns approached me, blocking the road," he told Reuters. "They hit me very badly and kidnapped the women in their car."

Foreigners in Somalia often run foul of local clans for not seeking permission to travel through their territories.

Somali kidnappers are known to treat their captives well and almost never kill them, viewing them as an investment on which they expect a return in the form of ransom.

The women's translator said the assailants beat up their chauffeur before ordering them into another car and driving them off. "The abductors had a Toyota Surf and they blocked the way we were going," added the translator, who asked not to be named.

An MSF spokesman, Javier Sancho, said the two kidnapped employees were working on a nutritional project for the Spanish branch of the international charity.

Reversing earlier statements from his officials, Puntland president Muse said his government would be prepared to talk with the kidnappers to ensure the safety of the aid workers.

"Of course we will be engaged in dialogue because their safety is important," he said.

"We will also seek to capture the criminals." (Additional reporting by Teresa Larraz in Madrid) (Writing by Andrew Cawthorne and Tim Cocks; Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia)

AlertNet news is provided by