Taliban militants in Afghanistan shot and killed on Tuesday 12 civilians, six of whom had been in the country to assist with government-related projects.
The killings took place in two separate incidents, The Associated Press reported.
Six bodies were discovered on Tuesday in western Herat province, in the Gulran district, said Jamel Danish, a media spokesman for the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation. Those six had gone missing on Sunday.
Members of the Taliban abducted them and attempted to use them to negotiate favors from the government, and when that failed, the militants shot them, Mr. Danish said, AP reported.
One of those six had been employed at the ministry, he said. Five others worked for a non-governmental organization that was doing business in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, another six bodies — civilians — were found Tuesday on the roadside, said Rohullah Samon, a spokesman for Paktia province, located in the eastern region, AP reported.
The details of those six individuals’ deaths were not released. But Mr. Samon confirmed that all were civilians.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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