Afghan Police Rescue Three Teens, Detain Trafficking Suspect in Samangan

Police in Afghanistan's northern Samangan province rescued three teenagers and detained a person accused of attempting to traffic them out of the country, the provincial police office said in a statement Monday. The operation took place on Sunday, according to the statement. The three victims, aged between 12 and 14, were handed over to their families.

According to the police account, the alleged trafficker deceived the teenagers by promising to take them to Iran for work. The detained individual is now under investigation, the statement said. Authorities did not release additional details about the suspect or specify what charges might follow.

The case reflects a wider pattern in Afghanistan, where many people leave the war-torn country in search of work, most of them heading to neighboring nations to escape poverty and unemployment at home.

Afghan security forces have arrested dozens of people on human trafficking charges and rescued hundreds of victims over the past couple of months in the western province of Nimroz, which borders Iran, according to Xinhua. The border region has become a focal point for such enforcement efforts.

The police statement did not say whether the Samangan case is connected to any broader trafficking network. The children are now back with their families, while the investigation into the alleged trafficker continues.