Suspected cartel gunmen abduct 2 female soldiers vacationing on beach in Mexico: "A cowardly act"

Suspected drug cartel gunmen abducted two off-duty female soldiers at gunpoint for several hours Thursday, the Mexican army said.

The commander of the army headquarters in the Pacific coast resort of Puerto Vallarta said the two women were vacationing there when they were kidnapped just after midnight.

"They were kidnapped for the simple reason that they belonged to the army," Gen. Vicente Pérez López said. "They had nothing to do with any operational issues."