Armed militants on Saturday intercepted a civilian vehicle in Afghanistan's western Farah province and abducted 12 commuters, in apparent tit-for-tat move against security forces' earlier operation to rescue 12 hostages from a Taliban detention center, Trend reported citing Xinhua.
Afghan security forces raided a militant group's hideout in the southern Helmand province on Thursday and rescued 12 hostages from the detention center, Afghanistan official media outlet the Bakhtar News Agency (BNA) reported Saturday.
An official who declined to be named confirmed that armed militants stopped a vehicle in Durabad area outside Farah city, the capital of western Farah province, Saturday morning and took 12 travelers to an unknown location.
Confirming the report, Deputy for Farah's provincial council Shah Mahmoud Naemi told Xinhua that the travelers, all civilians, "were stopped by Taliban rebels in Durabad area outside Farah city this morning" and the rebels after gunning down two of them took 10 others to an unknown place.
Taliban militants are yet to claim responsibility. Police have yet to make comment.
According to BNA, personnel of National Directorate for Security, the country's national spy agency, raided a Taliban hideout in Nahr-e-Saraj district of the poppy growing Helmand province Thursday night and rescued 12 civilians.
Clashes between security forces and Taliban militants have claimed scores of lives elsewhere in Afghanistan since Thursday, according to security officials.