An Afghan official says up to 20 ethnic Hazaras have been abducted in the volatile southern province of Zabul.
Ghulam Jalani Farahi, deputy provincial police chief, said on Saturday it is not yet known if the abductees are men or women. He says they were forced off buses by unidentified gunmen before dawn Saturday on the Kabul-Kandahar highway.
No one has yet claimed responsibility. Both Taliban and the Islamic State group have been blamed for past abductions. Hazaras are Shiite Muslims.
This month seven Hazaras were found dead in Zabul after being abducted in neighbouring Ghazni province up to six months earlier.
The killings sparked demonstrations nationwide, including in Kabul, where thousands of people demanded the government improve security across the country.
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