14 kidnapped children rescued in Parwan

CHARIKAR): Fourteen kidnapped children of ages between eight and 12 years were rescued from their kidnappers in central Parwan province on Monday, officials said.

Kidnapped from northern Kunduz province, the children were freed from their adductors on the Kabul-Balkh highway, the governor’s spokesman, Roshna Khalid, told a press conference.

The kidnappers wanted to take the children to militancy training camps in Pakistan, she said, adding two suspects had been arrested in connection with the kidnapping.

The detainees are currently being interrogated.

Roshna also said five people had also been detained for planning militant attacks and smuggling drugs over the past two weeks.

Elsewhere, three Taliban commanders were arrested during a series of operations by intelligence operatives in southern Helmand, a statement said on Monday.

The detained commanders were identified as Saifullah, Abdullah and Qasid, who were arrested on the outskirts of Lashkargah, the governor’s house said.

 It accused the detainees of being involved in distributing night letters threatening teachers and government officials in Khashkabi area.

Some letters, one Russian machinegun, nine Kalashnikovs with 2,000 bullets, a mortar launcher, 44 hand grenades, four remote-controlled bombs, five pistols, two rocket launchers, a walki-talkie and other weapons were recovered from the detainees.

frm/ma