Gunmen kidnap 15 mine clearers in west Afghanistan

Afghan officials say unidentified armed men have kidnapped 15 de-miners in Afghanistan's western province of Herat and taken them to an unknown location.

Jailani Farhad, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said on Saturday that the people were abducted the previous night in the Shabash area of Kohsan district.

He added that the assailants attacked and took hostage the de-miners as they were traveling on board four cars.

There were no immediate reports on the fate of the abductees and their whereabouts.

The de-miners were reportedly working for the HALO Trust, the world’s largest humanitarian mine clearance organization.

Established in 1988, the non-political organization has over 6,000 mine clearers in 19 countries and territories.

Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world following four decades of militancy and unrest.

Suspected Taliban militants frequently plant mines to target Afghan and foreign forces in various parts of Afghanistan.

De-miners are usually soft targets of abduction for ransom in Afghanistan as they work in far-flung regions.

Afghanistan is gripped by insecurity 15 years after the United States and its allies attacked the country as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror.

The war removed the Taliban from power but insecurity is still rampant in the country despite the presence of thousands of foreign troops.

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