A group of Afghan peace marchers who were whisked away for several days by the Taliban, prompting fears for their safety, reappeared unharmed Thursday.
The so-called People's Peace Movement attracted international attention last year when they walked hundreds of kilometres across Afghanistan and into the capital Kabul in an attempt to reduce the record levels of violence across the country.
About 30 members of the People's Peace Movement started a new walk on May 27, when they set out from Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province in the southwest.
Four of the group were taken into vehicles by the Taliban on Sunday as they crossed into insurgent-held territory, with most of the rest of the group taken away on Monday.
Bismillah Watandost, the marchers' spokesman and among those who disappeared, said the group had not been kidnapped but had been unable to communicate, as their phones were not working in Taliban-controlled areas.
"The People's Peace movement has come back with some good messages and we will brief the media tomorrow (Friday) about all the details, including who we met and what we talked about."
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