Taliban militants have abducted 55 people in Afghanistan’s central Maidan Wardak province over the last two days, officials said on Monday.
The victims, all youths, were abducted from Chak district, said Muzafaruddin Yamin, the provincial governor.
Yamin said that the abductors were demanding the release of their prisoners held by the government.
District Governor Fazlhaq Haqmal said that the Taliban said that they abducted the people over the allegations of cooperating with the government.
He, however, said that the Taliban were seeking release of their prisoners in exchange for them.
The abduction comes as the United States and the Taliban signed a peace deal in Doha on Saturday.
Under the deal, 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 others held by the group are expected to be released by March 10.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, however, has rejected their release.
