A group of six Afghan musicians has been kidnapped by the Taliban for defying a ban on music. This was reported by Agence France-Presse and various news media in Asia and Australia.
According to Times of India one of the six musicians abducted on 13 December 2008 was found dead in the Paktika province. The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying the hostages had flouted a ban on music, but denied killing the victim.
“We abducted them after they continued to sing and play music despite a recent ban on music announced by Taliban. One of them died of a heart attack,” said Abdul Wakil Mubariz, who claims to be the provincial Taliban commander.
The kidnapping of the musicians is just one of many recent attacks on music in Afghanistan. When the Taliban took control over Kabul in 1996, a total ban on music was enforced on the country, and many musicians left Afghanistan. Although the Taliban lost its control over Afghanistan in 2001 and music was gradually re-introduced in the country, there are still pockets of Taliban-controlled districts where musicians are attacked and persecuted. In 2008, Taliban groups have also started to attack musicians and music shops in neighbouring Pakistan.
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