Over 150 people, mostly Indian citizens, abducted near Kabul airport: Reports

Kabul:The Taliban has abducted over 150 people, mostly Indian nationals, from an area close to Hamid Karzai International Airport on Saturday morning, Afghan media said, quoting reliable sources, however, there was no official confirmation from the Indian government.

Kabul Now website, said the source, who managed to escape along with his wife and some others, added that those abducted include some Afghan citizens and Afghan Sikhs as well, but most of them are Indian citizens.

He added that they had all boarded eight minivan vehicles around one in the morning and were headed to Kabul airport for evacuation but they couldn’t enter the airport for lack of cooperation.

According to the source, "a group of the Taliban who were not armed approached them and took them to Tarakhil, an eastern neighbourhood in the capital Kabul, after beating them physically.”

The source added that he, his wife, and few others could manage to escape by throwing themselves down from windows of the minivans.

“The Taliban told the passengers that they would take them into the airport from a different gate but their whereabouts are yet not clear,” the source said.

Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesman denied the allegations of abduction, in an interview with the daily Al-Information. He said members of the group were present around Kabul Airport and would not allow people to enter the airport.(UNI)