ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Prominent Afghan doctor kidnapped, killed in northern city

Share
KABUL, Afghanistan -

A prominent doctor was kidnapped and killed in northern Afghanistan, his family said Saturday.

Mohamed Nader Alemi was abducted two months ago in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, and his kidnappers demanded a ransom for his release, his son Roheen Alemi said. The family eventually paid them US$350,000, after negotiating down their initial demand of more than twice that, he said.

Despite the payment, the kidnappers then killed Alemi, leaving his body in the street, his son said. They called the family and told them where to find it on Friday, he said.

"My father was badly tortured, there are signs of harm on his body," Roheen Alemi said.

Alemi, a psychiatrist, worked for the government's provincial hospital in Mazar-i-Sharif. He also owned a private clinic, said to be the city's first private psychiatric clinic.

Under the previous, U.S.-backed government, crime swelled, including frequent kidnappings for ransom, which prompted several businessmen to flee Afghanistan. The abductions have continued since the Taliban seized power on Aug. 15, though with lower frequency.

The Taliban Interior Ministry spokesman, Saeed Khosty, said Taliban forces arrested eight suspected kidnappers who were behind the abductions of three people, including Alemi, in Balkh Province, where Mazar-i-Sharif is located. He said two of those abducted were rescued but that Alemi was killed before the rescue. Police were searching for two associates of the eight arrested men who were believed to have killed the doctor.

"The Islamic Emirate is committed to find and punish the perpetrators," he said, using the Taliban name for Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the Taliban-run Finance Ministry announced that all government employees will be paid a three months salary, which had been unpaid since the Taliban takeover. The lack of pay for government workers has been one factor fueling a spike in poverty in Afghanistan amid a crumbling economy.

U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West, responded to an open letter sent earlier this week by the Taliban foreign minister to the American Congress. In the letter, Amir Khan Muttaqi said American sanctions on the Taliban are fueling the economic crisis and urged Congress to release billions in Afghan assets.

West said in a series of tweets that the Taliban had been warned that non-humanitarian aid to Afghanistan would be cut off if the insurgents seized power militarily rather than reaching a negotiated settlement.

Legitimacy "must be earned" by establishing an inclusive government and respecting the rights of women and minorities, "including equal access to education and employment, he said. West added that the U.S. is providing $474 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan through UN agencies.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.