At least 16 bus passengers killed by Taliban in northern Afghanistan

At least 16 bus passengers have been killed and dozens were taken hostage after the Taliban pulled them out from several buses in northern Afghanistan.

Sayed Mahmood Danish, spokesman for the governor of Kunduz province, was quoted by the Express Tribune, as saying that the Taliban shot dead 16 passengers on Tuesday.

Earlier, the United States carried out an air strike on the leader of the Afghan Taliban, probably killing him in a remote area just inside the Pakistan border in an operation.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry told Reuters that Afghanistan must limit military gains by the Taliban and offer incentives to the insurgents to revive a faltering peace effort.