A night of terror at the hands of the Taliban

It was 1 a.m. when the shouts awoke Ay Noor Uzbik.

“Your mobile!” the masked gunman screamed, holding a sack to collect the phones and money of the dozens of other passengers on the bus.

Doing as she was told, Uzbik took in the scene that had unfolded while she slept. The bus — near the tail-end of a 14-hour drive from Kabul to the northeastern province of Badakhshan — was filled with masked gunmen.

The ordeal that followed was replicated on several other vehicles early Tuesday, as passengers were held hostage by Taliban fighters. At least 10 people were killed.

A native of Badakhshan province, Uzbik, 28, had made the trip to and from Kabul countless times.Though the road leading from Kabul to the northern provinces has become increasingly dangerous in the last three years, she had not been especially worried about safety on this trip, which she took with her sister and two brothers.

Uzbik now recalls the experience as a series of panicked flashes.

Read More- LA Times

Image courtesy of EPA