Four bullet-ridden bodies recovered near Pakistan border

Out of the four men, three were Hazara Shia while one was Pashtun

GHAZNI, AFGHANISTAN: Afghan authorities on Wednesday recovered four bullet ridden bodies of four men kidnapped last week from eastern Afghanistan, while eight others were reportedly kidnapped recently.

According to Asadullah Ensafi, deputy chief police of Ghazni province, out of the four corpses found in Nawur district near the Pakistan border, three of the men belonged to the Hazara community while one was of Pashtun origin.

Read: Five abducted Hazaras beheaded in Afghanistan: officials

The men were seized on Monday evening in Zabul province, on the road between the western city of Herat and the capital, Kabul.

"Insurgents kidnapped at least eight more Hazaras on Tuesday," Ensafi stated. Adding that investigation is underway.

Read: Five Hazaras gunned down in Quetta

In February, masked gunmen abducted 30 Shia men who were travelling by bus through southern Afghanistan after returning from Iran, officials and a witness said.

Hazara Shia are often the target of sectarian violence at the hands of Sunni extremists in Afghanistan as well as Pakistan.

This article originally appeared on Associated Press