Afghanistan War News Updates -- May 31, 2016

VICE/Reuters: Taliban Attacks Have Killed Dozens of Police and Civilians Across Afghanistan in Past Three Days

The Taliban killed nine people and abducted 35 more in a series of bus attacks in the northeastern province of Kunduz on the same day that a leading humanitarian organization released a report revealing that the number of afghans internally displaced has doubled in the last three years to 1.2 million because of fighting and attacks.

Province officials said the gunmen, wearing Afghan army uniforms, forced passengers from several busses that were traveling en route to Kabul to disembark from the vehicles in Aliabad district before killing some and abducting others. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Aliabad district chief and a spokesman for Kunduz's governor blamed the attacks on Taliban militants, who have been responsible for multiple kidnappings across the country, according to the Associated Press.

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WNU editor: No kidding .... Hopes for peace dim with new Taliban leader. (AP)

Afghanistan War News Updates -- May 31, 2016

Taliban overrun Afghan police checkpoints in Helmand Province -- NYT
More than 50 Afghan police killed in Helmand fighting -- Reuters
Afghanistan: More than 50 police killed in Helmand -- Al Jazeera
Afghan Taliban kill nine, kidnap 20 bus passengers, army rescues 140 others -- Reuters
Taliban Said to Kill 16 in Worst Attack Since Leader Named -- Bloomberg
Taliban Gunmen Kill 10 Bus Passengers, Kidnap Dozens -- WSJ
Taliban kills 17 after abducting about 200 at fake Afghan checkpoint -- UPI
People internally displaced by conflict in Afghanistan doubled to 1.2 million in just three years -- Amnesty International
Afghans Displaced by War Doubles to 1.2 Million, Amnesty Says -- Bloomberg
Number of Afghans fleeing war doubles to 1.2 mn, says Amnesty. -- AFP
Number of displaced in Afghanistan doubled since 2013 to 1.2 million, report says -- Washington Post
Taliban chief’s body handed over to heirs in Afghanistan -- Hindustan Times
Al Qaeda branches eulogize Taliban leader Mullah Mansour -- Long War Journal
Analysts: Chances of Taliban's Entering Peace Negotiations Remain Dim -- VOA
In Afghanistan, the Taliban isn’t the only group battling for land -- Washington Post