The Taliban, who have been active in Farah, have not claimed responsibility for the abductions. However, Mr. Watandost also said that tribal elders in the province immediately launched an effort to negotiate with the Taliban to release the abducted activists. He added that phone lines were down in the region, making communicating and getting information from the area difficult.
The Taliban today hold sway over or control practically half of Afghanistan and are at their strongest since American troops invaded in 2001. They continue to stage near-daily attacks targeting Afghan and American forces, as well as government officials — even as they hold peace talks with a United States envoy tasked with negotiating an end to the 18-year conflict, America’s longest war.
The latest rallies by the activists from the People’s Peace Movement of Afghanistan started on Friday, first in southern Helmand Province, a Taliban heartland.
At a similar series of peace rallies in October, the Taliban abducted six activists from the movement in eastern Logar province but released them the same day.
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/25/world/asia/taliban-abducted-activists.html
Comments