Kabul,September 05 (QNA) - Taliban militants kidnapped a New York Times journalist along with his Afghan interpreter on Saturday while visiting the site of the deadly NATO airstrike in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz , the provincial governor said.
Mohammad Omar said the journalist, who went to talk to villagers in Omarkhel village in the Chardarah district was kidnapped by Taliban militants and his translator were blindfolded by the militants and taken to unknown location" the governor said, adding that Afghan security forces have began a search operation in the area to track down the kidnappers.
He said the Afghan army soldiers found the journalist's abandoned vehicle in the area.
A Taliban commander in Chardarah district confirmed that their fighters caught the journalist along with his translator in Easakhel village of the district on Saturday morning.
He said the Taliban leadership would decide on their fate.
A NATO-led airstrike struck two Taliban-hijacked fuel trucks on early Friday, killing "scores" of civilians, according to villagers.
The German military, which is the lead nation in the province, said those killed were Taliban insurgents, while Afghan police admitted that a number of civilians were also killed. An investigation is underway in the province.(QNA)