Taliban free civilians as rockets hit Kabul
KABUL: The Taliban released more than 160 civilian passengers a day after they were kidnapped from three buses in northern Afghanistan, but kept at least 20 soldiers and policemen as captives, an official said yesterday.
Nearly 200 passengers were taken as hostages near Kunduz on Monday as they travelled to the capital, Kabul.
Two Taliban commanders confirmed the release of the civilians. One said the insurgents had no intention of harming the civilians, who were travelling during the Eid alAdha holiday, but they would hold the police and soldiers as prisoners.
‘‘We wanted to convey a powerful message to the Government that we can launch many attacks and defeat them at every level.’’
The release of the civilians was announced not long after several rockets exploded near the diplomatic area in Kabul just as President Ashraf Ghani was speaking during an Eid prayer ceremony.
Interior ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said some of the rockets fell near the presi dential palace and around embassy compounds and government buildings.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the rocket attack, which came two days after Ghani offered the Taliban a conditional threemonth ceasefire.
The Taliban have rejected the offer, according to two commanders.