Taliban abduct dozens of alleged Afghan police recruits
March 28th, 2011 - 5:32 pm ICT by ANI
Kabul, Mar 28 (ANI): Afghan officials have claimed that Taliban insurgent groups have abducted dozens of men who tried to join the police force in the north-eastern parts of the country.
The BBC quoted a Taliban statement as saying that the group was ambushed on Saturday in Kunar province.
Village elders are reportedly involved in negotiations to free the men.
While recruitment for the security forces is taking place at a speedy rate ahead of the power transition to Afghan forces, the Taliban have warned that they will target anyone who tries to join the police forces.
Although initial reports suggested that the men were police recruits, the Nuristan police chief said that about 40 men had gone to the district capital to try their luck, but had to return back home after they discovered that no jobs were available there. He also claimed that on their way back home through an area dominated by the Taliban in Kunduz province, the men were detained.
In a statement emailed to several media outlets, Taliban militants however claimed that 50 Afghan policemen are now under their control.
A Taliban spokesman has said that the insurgents have detained policemen in the past in Nuristan and in other parts of the country, but had released them when they promised not to work with the police or the Afghan government.
He also said that the fate of the men would be decided by a council of senior Taliban military commanders in eastern Afghanistan. (ANI)
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Tags: abducted, afghan government, eastern afghanistan, emailed, initial reports, insurgent groups, insurgents, kabul, media outlets, military commanders, negotiations, police chief, police force, police forces, policemen, power transition, security forces, taliban, taliban spokesman, village elders