Militants massacre up to 40 civilians in northern Afghan

KABUL- 7 August 2017: Militants killed up to 40 civilians in the village of Mirza Oland located in the northern Afghanistan's Sare Pol province, Mohammad Zahir Wahdat, the provincial governor, said Sunday.

On Saturday, the insurgents established control over Mirza Oland and started killing civilians and servicemen in the captured settlement both by beheading them and by shooting them dead.

"The insurgents, after capturing the village, took dozens of civilians hostage. So far no contact has been established with the hostages… Alongside the military personnel, up to 30 or 40 civilians including the women and children and old men have been killed by the insurgents after they captured the Mirza Olang village," Wahdat said, as quoted by the TOLOnews broadcaster.

According to TOLOnews, no group has claimed responsibility for the massacre yet.