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Abduction follows the beheading of seven Hazaras in the same area earlier in the month.
KABUL—Gunmen kidnapped Hazaras traveling a major Afghan highway on Saturday, local officials said, the latest attack targeting the ethnic minority group after the beheading of seven Hazaras in the same area earlier this month sparked fears of persecution and protests in Kabul.
It wasn't immediately clear how many people had been abducted. Figures provided by officials in southern Zabul province, where the kidnapping took place, ranged between 14 and 30.
The officials blamed the Taliban, which had persecuted the predominantly ShiiteMuslim Hazaras in the years they ruled Afghanistan. The Taliban followSunni Islam, and some consider Shiites to have rejected the Muslim faith and target them for their religious beliefs.
"The Taliban took passengers out of several cars,” said Anwar Ishaqzai, the provincial governor of Zabul, where the abduction took place. “We have launched a rescue operation. Our forces are out there looking for the abductees.”
At least five Hazaras traveling on a bus bound for Kabul were saved by other travelers, who helped hide their identities after it was stopped by militants armed with AK-47s and machine guns, said a local activist who spoke to witnesses.
“These kidnappings have been occurring for months. This is now a national problem for Afghanistan,” said Zaki Daryabi, a Hazara activist who helped organize the large protest in Kabul that took place after the decapitated bodies of his compatriots were discovered earlier this month.
The Taliban denied their involvement in Zabul abduction.
“Our Mujahideen are not involved in the kidnapping,” said the group spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. “We are investigating the incident and trying to rescue the abductees.”
“We are aware of the hostage situation and we are gathering information,” said Sayed Zafar Hashemi, a spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. “Our forces are doing everything to ensure the safety and security of all citizens.”
A majority of Afghans are Sunni, but the country has been largely spared the sectarian strife that has plagued others in the region.
Afghanistan has no reliable population data, but Hazaras are considered the country’s third-largest ethnic group and the only one that is predominantly Shiite.
This month’s protest in Kabul was fueled by public anger at deteriorating security across the country, and at the targeting of Hazaras in particular.
A string of kidnappings over the past year, including some linked to extremist groups affiliated to Sunni extremist group Islamic State, are fueling concern about sectarian conflict among members of the community.
In recent months, rival Taliban groups have been battling each other in lawless parts of Zabul province, adding to security concerns.
Militants loyal to the group’s recently-appointed head, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, are fighting others who reject his leadership and whose tactics are more violent.
Uzbek militants are also active in Zabul, and have been accused of targeting Hazaras in the area.
Afghan forces have struggled to hold ground in the country since the withdrawal of most foreign forces in 2014. A small U.S.-led coalition remains to support its Afghan counterparts.
In September, Kunduz became the first major city to briefly fall under Taliban control since the start of the war, collapsing in hours and almost without a fight. A report released by a government-appointed commission on Saturday said corruption and poor leadership among Afghanistan’s government and military institutions were to blame, and that U.S. airstrikes had prevented a worse disaster.