Amnesty International condemns abduction of civilians in Afghanistan

The Amnesty International has condemned abduction of civilians in highways by the armed oppositions of the Afghan government.

“The kidnapping by an armed group of scores of civilians… in Kunduz represents an abhorrent new tactic that endangers civilian lives by ensnaring them in the conflict,” the rights group said in a statement.

“By kidnapping a large group of civilians for the second time in as many weeks, armed groups have demonstrated contempt for the security of ordinary people. Combatants in a conflict have a responsibility to protect civilian life.”

Afghan authorities Wednesday recovered bullet-ridden bodies of 12 security officials recently captured by the Taliban in eastern Ghazni province, while gunmen kidnapped 40 others in the country’s north as the insurgency escalates.

The 12 soldiers, police and intelligence officers were captured over the past two months from different highway crossings in the insurgency-prone province of Ghazni.

Separately, insurgents abducted 40 bus passengers in Kunduz on Wednesday, in the second such group abduction in the northern province in less than two weeks, officials said.

Seven other passengers managed to escape when Taliban fighters stopped the bus on the highway near Kunduz city, said police spokesman Mahfuzullah Akbari.

The Taliban have so far not commented on the 12 captives and the latest abduction.

The latter came after the Taliban killed 10 bus passengers, many of them summarily executed, and kidnapped dozens of others in Kunduz last week.

Meanwhile, Afghan security forces say that this year the enemies will defeat in battlefields and because of this they have turned to hostage taking.

Parliament members have also called on government to address this serious problem.

The Taliban have stepped up attacks after announcing Haibatullah Akhundzada as their new leader on May 25, elevating a low-profile religious figure after officially confirming the death of Mullah Mansour in a US drone strike.