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Afghan Taliban kidnap dozens of bus passengers near Kunduz Afghan Taliban kidnap dozens of bus passengers near Kunduz
(about 1 hour later)
About 150 people are reported to have been kidnapped after Taliban militants launched an ambush on three buses in northern Afghanistan.About 150 people are reported to have been kidnapped after Taliban militants launched an ambush on three buses in northern Afghanistan.
Security forces sent to the area near Kunduz are said to be involved in fierce clashes with the militants. A Taliban spokesman said they were targeting security forces travelling on the buses, adding the civilians would be released.
It comes a day after the government offered a conditional ceasefire.It comes a day after the government offered a conditional ceasefire.
President Ashraf Ghani said it would come into effect on Monday if the Taliban accepted, but the militants have not responded yet. President Ashraf Ghani said it would come into effect on Monday if the Taliban accepted.
Esmatullah Muradi, a spokesman for the Kunduz governor, told Reuters news agency the bus passengers were taken to "an undisclosed location" after being forced from the buses on Monday morning. It is currently unclear what the group has decided - although it did say it would release "hundreds" of "enemy prisoners" to mark the start of the Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday.
Most of the passengers - including women and children - have since been freed. Security forces are fighting to release the final 21. Esmatullah Muradi, a spokesman for the Kunduz governor, said the bus passengers were taken to "an undisclosed location" after being forced from the vehicles on Monday morning.
Mr Muradi told the BBC the area was under Taliban control. The buses were travelling along a highway in an area under Taliban control, en route to the capital Kabul.
Mohammad Yusouf Ayubi, Kunduz's provincial council head, told news agency AP he believed the militants were searching for government or security force employees. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, told Reuters they attacked the bus after "intelligence inputs revealed that many men working with Afghan security forces" were on board.
"We have taken the buses to a safe area to prevent any clashes and we are now identifying members of the security forces," he added, saying civilians would be released.
According to provincial officials, however, the majority of the passengers have already been released, with just 21 still in the militants' hands.
The Taliban have launched several attacks in recent weeks.The Taliban have launched several attacks in recent weeks.
The largest was the assault on the city of Ghazni, east of Kabul, which sparked a five-day battle with government forces that left hundreds dead or wounded. The UN has warned that up to 150 civilians may have been killed.The largest was the assault on the city of Ghazni, east of Kabul, which sparked a five-day battle with government forces that left hundreds dead or wounded. The UN has warned that up to 150 civilians may have been killed.
However, the Taliban have yet to comment on this most recent incident.