24 Afghan de-miner hostages set free

The armed groups who abducted 28-de-miners in Farah province 695 km west of capital city Kabul on Wednesday set free 24 of them Monday after killing four of them, an official said. "The abductors set free 24 de-miners today in Dillaram district," spokesman for provincial administration Naqibullah Farahi told Xinhua. Without blaming any group for the abduction, Farahi said all the mine sweepers were released without any ransom being paid, adding mediation of local elders led to the release of the hostages. Four bodies of the de-miners were found on Saturday. However, earlier Farah's police chief Syed Mohammed Roshandil accused Taliban militants of involvement in the abduction, saying the militants killed four de-miners on Saturday after kidnapping them.