Taliban kidnap dozens of travelers in Helmand

Taliban militants have kidnapped dozens of passengers in Greshk district of Helmand province from Herat-Kandahar highway, officials said on Tuesday.

Helmand provincial police chief Aqa Noor Keentoz said that Taliban militants have taken four vehicles with at least a hundred passengers from Muhajer Bazar area of Greshk district early this morning.

The district police chief Muhammad Ismail Ekhpelwak added that militants have kidnapped two buses and two trailers.

At the same time provincial transport chief claims that Taliban have token 14 vehicles with themselves at first, then they released 10 vehicles, but they are still keeping 4 vehicles with their passengers in an unknown location.

Taliban confirmed they have taken hostage 27 suspects based on their intelligence information.

Provincial governor spokesman Omar Zwak later said that 18 passengers including women and children were released later, but the exact number of kidnapped passengers are unkown.

Helmand is among the volatile districts in south of Afghanistan where the Taliban groups are actively operating in a number of its districts and controls part of the province.