10 August 2017

News Story: 235 Mirza Olang Hostages Released After Four Days

At least 235 residents of Mirza Olang village in Sar-e-Pul province, who were taken hostage following a coordinated attack by a group of militants, were released after mediation by local elders, the provincial governor’s office said in a statement on Tuesday.

“235 trapped residents in Mirza Olang village were released from Daesh and Taliban custody after four days following efforts by tribal elders under the leadership of the governor’s office,” the statement said.

The statement said the residents were taken to the provincial capital Sar-e-Pul city on Tuesday evening.

According to the statement, the Commando troops have arrived in Sar-e-Pul from air and ground and will soon clear the insecure parts of the province in Afghanistan’s north.

This comes few days after Taliban and Daesh fighters reportedly launched an attack on the village of Mirza Olang in the Sayyad district of northern Sar-e-Pul province killing over 50 villagers and taking hostage hundreds more.

The incident in Mirza Olang sparked strong reactions among Afghans over the brutality of the attack against the innocent villagers.

Read the full story at TOLOnews