Taliban Kidnap 140 Afghan Workers

Three buses carrying Afghan labourers on their way to work on the construction of a military base were kidnapped by the taliban. International Herald Tribune

Taliban insurgents have abducted more than 140 labourers involved in the construction of a military base in Afghanistan's western province of Farah, the provincial governor said on Monday.

They were seized by suspected militants on Sunday while travelling in three buses on a road in Bala Boluk district of Farah, Rohul Amin told Reuters. He added that authorities were trying to negotiate their release.[...]

Negotiations are underway by elders to release the innocent workers. We want to solve this issue peacefully without involving the military," he said.

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A village elder who is involved in the negotiations said a powerful Taliban commander in the area was behind the abductions.

Apart from the Taliban, who are leading an insurgency against the Western-backed government in Kabul and foreign troops, criminal gangs have also been behind a series of abductions of foreigners and Afghans in recent years.

Kidnapping has become a lucrative business in Afghanistan, amid rising violence in the last few years.