Taliban stop buses in south, abduct 27 Afghan passengers
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An AFP file photo shows a number of Taliban militants in an unknown location in Afghanistan.
The Taliban have kidnapped over two dozen bus passengers in Afghanistan’s Southern Helmand Province, the latest in a wave of highway abductions by the militant group in recent weeks.
The militants blocked the main highway connecting the capital Kabul with the south, forcing a number of cars and buses to stop near the town of Gereshk, said Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the governor of Helmand.
They took at least 27 men hostage from three buses that were heading to the Southern Province of Kandahar and transferred them to an unknown location.
Afghan police said a search operation is underway to locate the captives.
Mohammad Ismail, a district police chief in Helmand, said the militant group had initially taken 60 people into captivity, but later released a group of them.
In the wake of the incident, Taliban said in a statement that the abductees were under investigation.
Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman said “Those who are innocent will be released but those who are working for the slave administration of Kabul’s security organs will be submitted to [informal] courts.”
The militant group has so far kidnapped over 200 people on roads across the country since the end of May. It has also killed at least 21 others in northern and southern regions of the country.
ME
