A former soldier, Amanuddin, has been in Taliban custody for six months, during which he has suffered severe torture. His family, who recently visited him at the group’s intelligence directorate in Kabul, reported that the Taliban had cut his flesh with pliers and damaged one of his legs so severely that he could barely walk.
Amanuddin is a resident of Bazarak, the capital of northeastern Panjshir province. His relatives told KabulNow that he has not been charged with a crime, and there is no official news of his release either.
During the meeting with his family, Amanuddin informed them that the Taliban had recently filled out a form about him and he hoped to be released soon.
Although sources said that Amanuddin was a policeman five years ago, he left the army due to personal problems and was not associated with any military or political opposition to the Taliban. The Taliban arrested him while he was selling fruit.
Amanuddin’s case is not an isolated incident, as dozens of former soldiers have been arrested, imprisoned, and tortured by the Taliban in the past year and a half.
Reports indicate that the prisoners face a variety of torture methods, including beatings, hanging by the feet, electric shocks, suffocation with hands or handkerchiefs, and even hanging stones from the penis. Some released prisoners have reported being subjected to nail-pulling, pipe insertion, and sleep deprivation during their interrogations.
