Suspected militants on Sunday released the governor of a volatile Afghan district near the border with Pakistan, two days after he was kidnapped, a provincial spokesman said. Musafir Khan Qayumzai, the district governor of Ghazi Abad in eastern Kunar province, was set free along with his son and two bodyguards, after all were snatched from their car en route to the official’s office.
“Musafir Khan and his son and two bodyguards were released through tribal mediation,” said provincial spokesman Wasifullah Wasefi. The Taliban and other militants frequently kidnap police, soldiers and NGO workers in Afghanistan but it is relatively rare for them to target prominent local politicians.
