PARIS - A US journalist who had also worked for Agence France-Presse (AFP) was kidnapped weeks ago and has been missing since then, according to an AFP report on Wednesday.

Quoting his family as the source, the AFP reported that the 39-year-old James Foley was abducted by four armed men in the town of Taftanaz, northern Syria on November 22, 2012, a day after contributing his last video materials to the AFP.

No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction and the reason for the kidnapping remains unclear, the AFP said.

Foley's family released the kidnapping news on Wednesday in a bid to find ways for getting in contact with him.

AFP Chairman Emmanuel Hoog vowed to "do utmost to secure Foley's freedom," the AFP reported.