Gunmen kidnap six Shia Muslims in western Afghanistan

Armed men have abducted six Shia Muslims from the Hazara ethnic community on a highway linking Afghanistan’s western province of Farah to neighboring Herat Province

Armed men have abducted six Shia Muslims from the Hazara ethnic community on a highway linking Afghanistan’s western province of Farah to neighboring Herat Province.

According to officials, the incident took place in the Kanisk area of Farah.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the kidnapping, but abductions for ransom regularly happen in Afghanistan by bandits, local militias, and the Taliban militants.

On February 23, masked gunmen kidnapped 30 Shia Muslims as they were traveling on two buses in central Afghanistan.

The incident took place in the southern province of Zabul on the road between the western city of Herat and the capital, Kabul.

The kidnapped individuals were men from the Hazara ethnic group, which is often targeted by militants in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.