Taliban forces attacked four buses carrying around 200 people in the Kunduz Province of Afghanistan today, killing at least 12 people in the course of the incidents and taking dozens of hostages, who were described as “security personnel” who were wearing civilian clothes.
The exact details of how many hostages are still unaccounted for are uncertain. One Afghan official said 35, another insisted 20, and the Taliban’s own statement claimed 26, although they’d also claimed just 6 killed in the course of the attacks.
Afghan officials claimed to have “rescued” around 140 other passengers, and the math doesn’t really work out with any of the reported numbers right now. The rescue does not appear to have been a fight, but rather the Taliban simply ditching them by the side of the road after making off with everyone carrying a card identifying them as a government employee.
The Taliban described everyone captured as “army personnel,” and claimed the slain had “tried to escape.” There has been no word of the fate of those kidnapped by the Taliban, or indications of any demands or offers for a trade.
If they were govt personnel, in particular if they were security personnel, then they were not “kidnapped”. The correct term would be “captured” or “taken prisoner”, as in prisoner of war. The current government is a puppet installed by an invading foreign power — the US, well duh! The Taliban, in the absence of any alternative indigenous group, is the legitimate, authentically Afghan group representing the Afghan people and fighting against the occupation of Afghanistan by foreign invaders — the US, NATO, et al.
“Kidnapped” — and I don’t know where or how Jason came to apply that mischaracterization — connotes a criminal act. The Taliban are not criminals. They are the fierce patriots who have defended Afghan independence across the millenia. Demonizing propaganda of this sort — see also “terrorist”. “anti-semite”, “brutal dictator” — is straight up propaganda. Caveat emptor.