KANDAHAR: Seven Afghan civilians believed kidnapped by the Taliban last month have been found dead with their hands bound behind their backs and apparently tortured, local officials in the southern province of Zabul said on Wednesday.The apparent executions may have been punishment for working for Afghan security forces, the officials said, underscoring the growing threat of attack faced by civilians associated with local forces as foreign troops withdraw.
"They were brutally tortured and then shot dead," said Zabul deputy governor Mohammad Jan Rasulyar. "Our belief is that the Taliban killed them because they thought they were serving in the Afghan security forces."
Police officers in Zabul said they were attacked by Taliban fighters when they attempted to recover the bodies after receiving a tip-off about their whereabouts. They killed three insurgents during an operation to clear the area. "We rushed to the dead bodies. We saw that the Taliban had chained their hands behind their backs and killed them brutally. They were all civilians kidnapped by the Taliban," said police chief Ghulam Sakhi.