U.S. woman arrested in Afghanistan among 18 aid workers held for "promoting Christianity," local official says

Almost 20 staff members of a charity organization operating in central Afghanistan, including one U.S. national, have been arrested by regional officials in the Taliban-controlled nation, a spokesman for the provincial government in Ghor province told CBS News on Monday. The 18 detained aid workers were arrested for "propagating and promoting Christianity," a violation of the Taliban's strict regulations on all non-governmental groups, according to Abdul Wahid Hamas, the spokesman for the regional administration in Ghor province.

Hamas told CBS News that all 18 individuals had been transferred to the capital Kabul for further investigation. He said previously that one foreign national, an American woman, was among the detained NGO workers.

A local employee of The International Assistance Mission (IAM) in Ghor province also told CBS News, on the condition that he not be named, that the detained foreign employee was a U.S. woman who works at the office.