(Kabul) On Saturday, his family said a prominent doctor had been kidnapped and killed in northern Afghanistan.
Rohin Elmi, his son, said that Muhammad Nader Elmi, was kidnapped two months ago in the town of Mazar-i-Sharif, and his kidnappers demanded a ransom in exchange for his release.
He said the family eventually paid them $350,000 after they negotiated because the kidnappers demanded more than double.
Despite the payment, the kidnappers killed ds Alimi, left his body in the street, his son said. He said they called the family and told them where to find him on Friday.
“My father was severely tortured, and there are traces of wounds on his body,” Rohen Elmi said.
Muhammad Nader Elmi is a psychiatrist who worked at the provincial government hospital in Mazar-i-Sharif.
He also had a private clinic, which would be the first private psychiatric clinic in the city.
Under the previous US-backed government, crime, including kidnappings for ransom, increased, prompting many businessmen to flee Afghanistan.
Kidnappings have continued since the Taliban took power on August 15, but at a slower rate.
The spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior, Saeed Khosti, said that Taliban forces had arrested eight suspected kidnappers who were behind the kidnappings of three people, including Dr.s Al-Alimi is in the province of Balkh, where Mazar-i-Sharif is located.
He added that two of the kidnapped were rescued, but Mohamed Nader Elmi was killed during the rescue attempt.
Police are looking for two of the eight men’s assistants who were arrested and who allegedly killed the doctor. “The Islamic Emirate is committed to finding and punishing the perpetrators,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Taliban-led Ministry of Finance announced that all government employees would receive three months’ salaries. They have not received their salaries since the Taliban took control of the country.
The lack of civil servant salaries has been one of the factors that have led to the increase in poverty in Afghanistan amid the collapse of the economy.
The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West responded to an open letter sent by the Taliban’s foreign minister earlier this week to the US Congress.
In the letter, Amir Khan Mottaki said that US sanctions against the Taliban are fueling the economic crisis. He urged Congress to release billions of Afghan assets.
Thomas West said in a series of tweets that the Taliban had received warnings that inhumane aid to Afghanistan would be halted if the insurgents seized power militarily instead of reaching a negotiated settlement.
He said legitimacy “must be earned” through inclusive government and respect for the rights of women and minorities “including equal access to education and employment.”
Thomas West added that the United States provides $474 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan through United Nations agencies.
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