Indian hostage killed by Taliban in Afghanistan CNN-IBN Posted Sunday , April 30, 2006 at 07:58 Updated Sunday , April 30, 2006 at 13:18 Email Email Print Print
New Delhi: Indian engineer Suryanarayan is dead and his body has been found near Kandahar, Rakesh Sood, Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan, said.
Suryanarayan was kidnapped by Taliban militants on Friday.
Taliban were demanding the eviction of all Indian workers from Afghanistan and had given a 24-hour deadline, which was to end at 1900 hours (IST) on Sunday.
The India Consulate General in Kandahar, KJ Sodhi, said a highway police patrol found the body near the Hassan Kariez district of Zabul.
Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, who releases regular statements on behalf of the outlawed Taliban fighters, said militants shot the Indian engineer dead when he tried to escape and fought with his captors.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has condemned the inhuman killing of Suryanarayan and has asked Indians to fight a united war against terrorism.
Singh's media adviser Sanjay Baru said, "The government will do whatever is required to support the family. The Prime Minister has strongly condemned the heinous act by the Taliban."
A spokesperson for Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Khalid Ahmed, said, "Our enemies do not want us to succeed. A commission will be formed to ensure the safety of everyone who are helping in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Taliban is not a threat to Afghanistan."
Indian engineer Suryanarayan was working for a Bahraini company in Afghanistan.
Taliban militants had abducted Suryanarayan at gunpoint at 1900 hrs (IST) on Friday as he was driving on the Kandahar-Kabul highway in the Hassan Kariez district of southern Zabul province, said Ali Khail, a provincial government spokesman.