Taliban Abducts 27 Bus Passengers S. Afghanistan

Local Editor

The Taliban kidnapped over two dozen bus passengers in Afghanistan's southern Helmand Province in the latest wave of highway abductions by the militant group in recent weeks.

The terrorist group's 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 a local government spokesman.

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.

In this regard, Afghan police said a search operation is underway to locate the captives.

Furthermore, a district police chief in Helmand said the militant group had initially taken 60 people into captivity, but released some of them.

For its part, the Taliban said in a statement that the abductees were under investigation.

"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 courts," said Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, in the statement.

The militant group has so far kidnapped over 200 people across the country since the end of May. It has also killed at least 21 people in northern and southern parts of the country.

Afghanistan has been gripped by insecurity since the US and its allies invaded the country as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. Many parts of the country remain plagued by militancy despite the presence foreign troops from many US allies.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team