Afghan officials say Taliban militants have killed 12 members of the country's security forces whom they had captured in recent ambushes in the eastern province of Ghazni.
Meanwhile, police in the northern province of Kunduz said on June 8 that Taliban fighters stopped a bus on a highway near the provincial capital and abducted 40 passengers -- the second such abduction in the province in less than two weeks.
Police spokesman Mahfuzullah Akbari said seven other passengers managed to escape the Taliban gunmen who stopped the bus.
Army intelligence officer Gulam Mohammad Tahiri said on June 8 that the 12 slain security officials in Ghazni Province included seven policemen, three soldiers, and two officials from the National Directorate of Security.
He said the killings took place in the Andar district on June 7 and that Taliban militants forced local residents to watch the execution-style killings.
Jawid Salangi, a spokesman for Ghazni's police, said the security officials were abducted by the Taliban on separate highways in the province on June 3 and 5.
Travelers have faced a string of murders and kidnappings on roads in recent weeks, with the Taliban claiming responsibility.