Official: Militants kidnap 155 Afghan workers
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
KABUL, Afghanistan
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Militants stopped three buses carrying Afghan laborers through western Afghanistan and kidnapped everyone on board - around 155 people, officials said Monday.
The militants stopped the buses in the Bala Baluk district of the western province of Farah on Sunday, said Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary.
The laborers had been constructing a military base for the Afghan army in Farah city, the provincial capital, said Gov. Younis Rasouli. He said 156 Afghans had been kidnapped, while Bashary said 155 were taken.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the kidnappings. Bashary said he knew of no demands from the kidnappers.
"What demand might they have from the government? They are poor and innocent laborers who are traveling far distances for work," Bashary said.
Kidnappings of Afghans for ransom are routine in Afghanistan, and in July 2007 Taliban fighters kidnapped 23 South Koreans, killing two and releasing the rest. But the kidnapping of 155 people is the first time militants have attempted to abduct and hold such a large group.
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