Taliban kidnap 27 passengers in Afghanistan

At least 27 passengers were kidnapped on Tuesday after Taliban militants intercepted three vehicles in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand.

"Armed militants stopped two trucks and a long-distance bus along Kabul-Herat Highway in Gereshk district. They captured several passengers and took them to nearby villages," a security source told Xinhua news agency.

Aqa Noor Kentoz, the provincial police chief, said his forces had launched a search operation to locate and rescue the captives.

Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a purported Taliban spokesman, said the group took the 27 people for interrogation in Gereshk.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since early April when the militant group launched its annual rebel offensive in different areas of the country.

--IANS

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