FARAH CITY (Pajhwok): The Taliban on Tuesday denied kidnapping 18 voters and killing two others in western Farah province after local residents alleged so.
Local residents accused the Taliban of killing two people and kidnapping 18 others over voting in the recent Wolesi Jirga elections, but the Taliban denied their involvement.
Zabihullah, a resident of Shamalgah area on the outskirts of Farah city, the provincial capital, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the Taliban intercepted vehicles in their areas last night and took away 11 people with them.
The victims had voted in the elections as the Taliban identified them from ink on their fingers, the resident said.
Mohammad Nasim, a resident of Joyen district of Farah, said the Taliban in their area on Monday searched vehicles and arrested seven people who had voted.
Farah police spokesman Mohibullah Mohib also said the Taliban had taken some people hostage in the province over voting. However, he did not provide more details.
Some sources said insurgents killed one person in Shamalgah area on Monday and another person in Pushtrod district of Farah on Tuesday morning.
Mohib said the Taliban killed the two persons because they took part in the voting after seizing them from a vehicle in Shamalgah area.
He said one of the victims, Jamaluddin, was a campaign member for a Wolesi Jirga candidate, Abdul Jalil Bakhtawar.
Dr. Zaki, in charge of the emergency section of Farah Civil Hospital, confirmed receiving bodies of two people. He said both had been shot dead.
However, a Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, said they did not kill people who participated in elections and the fighters were not involved in the killing of the two persons.
He confirmed the Taliban captured some people who voted, but said some were released and the rest would be also freed after some investigation.
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