The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement Thursday it is deeply concerned at the spate of abductions, hostage-taking and summary executions carried out in recent days against passengers travelling in civilian vehicles.
Two incidents of mass kidnappings have taken place since Tuesday.
In the first incident, armed Taliban fighters stopped a number of busses on the Kunduz-Baghlan highway in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Insurgents executed 10 men from a group of nearly 200 men, women and children. The bulk of the hostages were freed but ten remained. Insurgents subsequently beheaded two of the eight.
In the second incident, insurgents abducted 17 bus passengers in Sar-e-Pul province on Wednesday.
According to UNAMA, “many passengers [in the Kunduz incident] were mistreated by the assailants in order for them to identify those with connections to the government or security forces.”
“Taking civilians hostage is indefensible,” said Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA.
“I call for the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians detained and a halt to this horrible practice,” he added.http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/25610-unama-concerned-at-spate-of-abductions
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