"The incident took place in Shahjoy district after the armed men stopped three passenger buses and abducted 20 people," a security source told Xinhua news agency.
The majority of the abductees were from the Hazara ethnic minority, the source said.No group has claimed responsibility for the incident yet.They were traveling along the Zabul-Kabul highway.
The hostages, from Zabul province, where reportedly taken off four different buses at a single point along the highway, said local officials.
Security forces and provincial officials have reportedly arrived at the scene and have cordoned off the area in a bid track the kidnappers and hostages.
According to Afghan TOLO NEWS reporter who was at the scene, the incident occurred between two police checkpoints – which were 3 km apart. In addition, security forces conduct 24 hour-a-day patrols along this highway.
An official source said the incident happened near Nawrak district about 35 kms from Qalat, the capital of Zabul.
This latest incident took place a mere 24 km away from the point where Daesh militants kidnapped 31 bus passengers in February. Following the release of most hostages, the last five were freed a week ago.
However, this comes close on the heels of the Zabul incident, which saw the beheading of seven other hostages early this month after being kidnapped by Daesh almost two months ago.
The seven victims, including three women, were also kidnapped while traveling between Zabul and Ghazni provinces. They were beheaded earlier this month allegedly by Daesh members.
The incident sparked a massive demonstration through the streets of Kabul two weeks ago. About 20,000 demonstrators carried their bodies through the streets of the capital, calling for justice and an end to the kidnappings.
No group has however claimed responsibility for Saturday's incident.No group has however claimed responsibility for Saturday's incident. But many believed that loyalists of the so-called “Islamic State of Iraq and Syria” (ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group in Afghanistan have beheaded seven hostages including two women, four men and a child in southern Zabul province of Afghanistan.