KABUL: Gunmen kidnapped eight ethnic Hazara people from two cars in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday but later released all but one of the hostages, a local official said.

It was the second kidnapping involving members of the Hazara community in less than a month, stoking fears of sectarian violence in this war-weary nation. The passengers were riding in two vehicles in eastern Ghazni province when the gunmen stopped them, said Shafiq Nang Safi, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

Safi said the identity of the assailants and the remaining hostage were unknown.

Another 30 Hazaras are still missing after masked gunmen forced them off two buses in the southern province of Zabul in late February.

Hazaras, who largely follow the Shia sect of Islam, were persecuted under the Taliban’s rule, but sectarian violence has been rare since the group was ousted by the US-led invasion in 2001.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play

Opinion

Editorial

Throttling connectivity
Updated 15 Aug, 2024

Throttling connectivity

Now the authorities seem to have decided that WhatsApp has replaced X as the new staging ground for dissent and are tightening the noose.
Targeting TTP
15 Aug, 2024

Targeting TTP

IF the priority being given to it by the security apparatus is any indication, terrorism seems to be metastasising...
Transgender justice
15 Aug, 2024

Transgender justice

TRANSPHOBIC attitudes, conflicting emotions among men and easy access to weapons have turned parts of the country,...
Rebuilding a dream
Updated 14 Aug, 2024

Rebuilding a dream

"True" independence — and not in the sense of a political slogan — can only be achieved when Pakistan’s children are assured of a better tomorrow.
A general’s arrest
14 Aug, 2024

A general’s arrest

A PAKISTAN Army general who had once seemed all-powerful has been arrested by his own institution for a list of...
No exceptions
14 Aug, 2024

No exceptions

CAREER civil services officer Rashid Mahmood Langrial, who recently became the ninth person to be appointed head of...