Suspected Taliban fighters kidnap 30 people

Afghan insurgents kidnapped at least 30 people and killed six others in raids this week, officials said Wednesday. Gen. Abdul Raziq, police chief of southern Kandahar province, said some militants on Tuesday night attacked a police checkpoint and killed six police officers and wounded five others. In a separate attack, a group of insurgents dressed in army uniforms kidnapped 30 people from a bus, including 19 policemen, Raziq said. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but officials blamed the Afghan Taliban. Earlier on Wednesday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called on Taliban fighters to partake in peace talks during the country’s second Kabul Process conference this week. Ghani called for a cease-fire and vowed to provide the insurgents with visas and declare them a political group if they agreed to negotiations.