Taliban subject passengers to biometric screening

KUNDUZ CITY (Pajhwok): Taliban militants have subjected passengers on the Khanabad- Aliabad highway to a biometrics screening in northern Kunduz province, local officials said on Tuesday.

Hayat Lala Amiri, the Khanabad district chief, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the insurgents stopped a passenger bus going from Takhar province to Kabul at 6.00am.

He said the rebels conducted a biometric check on passengers and their mobile phones. The apparent objective was to determine whether there were government officials aboard the bus.

Amiri added the security forces at a checkpoint in the area fired at the Taliban and forced them into fleeing. Although no one was captured, the incident had scared the people, the official said.

Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed the fighters had access to the biometric system in different areas, including Kunduz. But he said nothing about today’s incident.

Some months back, the Interior Ministry had spurned as groundless reports about Taliban’s possession of the biometrics system. It had then called the movement’s claim part of the propaganda war.

According to the ministry, the system has been divided into central and regional categories. The central part -- closely guarded -- is maintained in Kabul. The system contains information about security personnel and offenders.

Only a few special individuals can access the data. At the regional level, the biometrics system would be operated only in emergency situations.

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