Date: February 23, 2015

Location: En route from Herat to Kabul, Zabul Province, Afghanistan

Victims:

30 Hazara passengers kidnapped Three were killed or died during captivity

Perpetrators: Anti-government Elements

Incident Type: Mass kidnapping

Claimed Responsibility: No specific group was mentioned

Narrative: On February 23, 2015, anti-government elements abducted 30 Hazara passengers from two public buses traveling from Herat to Kabul. According to a witness, armed individuals first collected all cell phones and national ID cards from the passengers. They then separated males from females, followed by Hazaras from non-Hazaras, before taking away 31 Hazara men and leaving the other passengers on the road. During the period of captivity, three of the victims were killed, with one reportedly being an Afghan National Army member. Two others died, allegedly due to natural causes, though some sources suggested they were executed to increase pressure on the government to accept the kidnappers' terms. The remaining hostages were released between May and August 2015. Reports indicated that the release was in exchange for a group of detainees held by the Government.