Taliban hold minority Hazaras hostage for 'stealing sheep'
Jawadi said the gunmen kept eight hostages, all from the Hazara ethnic group
PHOTO: REUTERS
KANDAHAR:
Afghan Taliban militants on Saturday kidnapped at least seven members of the minority Hazara community after a dispute over sheep, local authorities said.
Gunmen stopped three buses at dawn between Shah Joy and Qalat in the volatile Zabul province, first taking 17 hostages before releasing nine, local leader Wazir Mohammed Jawadi said.
Three Hazaras among four gunned down in Quetta
Jawadi said the gunmen kept eight hostages, all from the Hazara ethnic group, Shias who are known for their striking Central Asian features.
The local chief of police Mirwais Noorzai said that "seven Hazaras are being held hostage".
He said local Taliban leader Mullah Taqwa had ordered the kidnappings because Hazaras allegedly "stole sheep", adding that Taqwa would release the hostages "if the Hazaras give him back his sheep".
A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, told AFP that the group would "investigate" the incident.
Zabul province is under the control of the mainly Sunni Taliban and has been the scene of clashes between rival Taliban factions.
The three million-strong Afghan Hazara community has been persecuted for decades, with thousands killed in the late 1990s by Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
In February, 31 people, mostly Hazara, were abducted in the region by fighters linked to the Islamic State, which has been trying to gain a foothold in Afghanistan.
Gunmen kill two Shia Hazaras in Quetta
A week ago thousands of people attended the burials of seven Hazaras after their decapitated bodies were found in Zabul. The victims were kidnapped in neighbouring Jaghuri by unknown gunmen in October.
Afghan Taliban militants on Saturday kidnapped at least seven members of the minority Hazara community after a dispute over sheep, local authorities said.
Gunmen stopped three buses at dawn between Shah Joy and Qalat in the volatile Zabul province, first taking 17 hostages before releasing nine, local leader Wazir Mohammed Jawadi said.
Three Hazaras among four gunned down in Quetta
Jawadi said the gunmen kept eight hostages, all from the Hazara ethnic group, Shias who are known for their striking Central Asian features.
The local chief of police Mirwais Noorzai said that "seven Hazaras are being held hostage".
He said local Taliban leader Mullah Taqwa had ordered the kidnappings because Hazaras allegedly "stole sheep", adding that Taqwa would release the hostages "if the Hazaras give him back his sheep".
A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, told AFP that the group would "investigate" the incident.
Zabul province is under the control of the mainly Sunni Taliban and has been the scene of clashes between rival Taliban factions.
The three million-strong Afghan Hazara community has been persecuted for decades, with thousands killed in the late 1990s by Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
In February, 31 people, mostly Hazara, were abducted in the region by fighters linked to the Islamic State, which has been trying to gain a foothold in Afghanistan.
Gunmen kill two Shia Hazaras in Quetta
A week ago thousands of people attended the burials of seven Hazaras after their decapitated bodies were found in Zabul. The victims were kidnapped in neighbouring Jaghuri by unknown gunmen in October.