Taliban kill 17 bus passengers

Kabul, May 31 

Taliban militants killed at least 17 people after abducting over 200 bus passengers in the early hours of Tuesday in the northern Kunduz province of Afghanistan.

Local government officials, quoted by Khaama Press, confirmed that the Taliban killed at least 12 of the abducted passengers.

However, a security official said the militants have killed at least 17 of the passengers after kidnapping them from the Kunduz-Takhar highway.

The Taliban insurgents kidnapped at least 185 passengers after setting up a check post on the highway around 2 am. The insurgents kidnapped the passengers from four buses, three vans and three cars and took them away, the security officials said.

However, the majority of the passengers were released after they were interrogated but at least 17 of them were killed. The officials also added that at least 18 of the passengers were still in the custody of the Taliban insurgents and efforts were underway for their safe release. 

Under the new leadership of Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban have vowed that there will be no peace talks with the Afghan government.— IANS