Taliban Kill 14 Afghan Shiites         07/25 06:22

   KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Taliban insurgents halted minibuses in western 
Afghanistan, identified 14 Shiite passengers and shot them dead by the side of 
the road overnight Friday, an official said.

   The busses were traveling from Kabul and carrying around 30 passengers, many 
of whom had gone to the capital to shop ahead of the holiday marking the end of 
the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, said Sayed Anwar Rahmati, the governor of the 
western Ghor province, where the attack took place.

   After questioning the passengers, the Islamic militants identified 14, 
including three women, as Hazara Shiites. The insurgents then bound the 
passengers' hands, led them away and shot them, Rahmati said, adding that the 
other passengers were released. The dead included a couple who were engaged and 
two relatives travelling with them, he said.

   The Taliban, like other Sunni extremist groups, view the country's minority 
Shiite community as apostates, and have targeted Hazaras in the past with 
suicide bombings and other attacks.


(KA)