Then again, Catholics routinely stop buses and execute only the Protestant passengers… actually, that never happens.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — In a blow to hopes for peace talks, the Taliban’s reclusive leader warned Friday that a bilateral security pact allowing thousands of U.S. troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond the end of this year will mean more fighting. […]

Taliban insurgents halted minibuses in the western province of Ghor, identified 14 Shiite Hazara passengers, including three women, bound their hands, then shot them dead by the side of the road, an official said.

The buses were traveling from Kabul and carrying around 30 passengers, many who had gone to the capital to shop ahead of the holiday weekend, said the provincial governor, Sayed Anwar Rahmati. The dead included a couple who were engaged and two relatives travelling with them, Rahmati said, adding the other passengers were released.

The Taliban, like other Sunni extremist groups, view the country’s minority Shiite community as apostates, and have targeted Hazaras in the past with suicide bombings and other attacks.