MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan — Taliban authorities said on Sunday that they had rescued a 13-year-old boy who was abducted last week while returning home from school in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.
According to Abdul Mateen Qanay, Taliban spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, the child was freed during a security operation in the Saleem intersection area of Mazar-e-Sharif City, the center of Balkh Province.
He said two of the suspected kidnappers were killed during the raid and one was taken into custody.
The boy, whose name has not been disclosed, was reportedly in good health and has been reunited with his family, the authorities said.
Further details regarding the identity of the suspects or the motive behind the abduction have not been made public. Kidnappings for ransom have been a recurring issue in parts of Afghanistan, though the Taliban claim to have curbed such incidents since regaining control of the country in 2021.
