Twelve people killed, 50 kidnapped in Afghan highway attacks

GHAZNI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Suspected Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan killed 12 people after stopping their vehicles on a road in the east of the country, while 50 people were kidnapped in the north, the latest in a spate of highway attacks, officials said on Wednesday.

The Taliban have made considerable gains in fighting in various parts of the country in recent months and the killing of their leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, in a U.S. drone attack last month has had no discernable impact on the violence.