KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources in northeastern Takhar province report that the Taliban has detained two members of the former Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in the province.
Local sources told KabulNow today that both members of the former ANDSF, identified as Mohammad Usman and Samiullah Sadat, were detained by Taliban intelligence agents in Chashma-e-Sher village, situated in the capital city of Taleqan, last week.
The reason for their arrest remains unclear, and the Taliban has not yet commented on the matter.
This incident is the latest in a series of targeted arrests, detentions, and killings of members of former ANDSF, employees of the previous government, and rights activists by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The situation has raised serious concerns about the safety and security of citizens across the country.
Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, hundreds of former military personnel across the country have been detained, imprisoned, tortured, and, in many cases killed.
The UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) highlighted in its recent report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan that despite the declared general amnesty, the organization continues to receive reports of arbitrary arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings of former government officials and soldiers.
“Between 1 January and 31 March, UNAMA Human Rights documented at least 38 instances of arbitrary arrest and detention, at least 10 instances of torture and ill-treatment, verbal threats and at least four extrajudicial killings of former government officials and former ANDSF members,” the report said.
In early March, sources in eastern Nangarhar province reported that Ali Gul, a member of the former ANDSF, died after being tortured by Taliban intelligence agents in the province.
In March, 2023, local sources in western Herat province reported the death of a former soldier under Taliban intelligence force’s torture. The deceased military officer, identified as Mirwais, had served in Herat’s Shindand district before August 2021.
Human rights groups have repeatedly accused the Taliban of gross human rights violations, expressing concerns that revenge killings and enforced disappearances of former security forces have not stopped despite the regime’s “general amnesty.”
Last year, Amnesty International called for the application of universal jurisdiction against members of the Taliban accused of arbitrary arrest, torture, and extrajudicial killing of employees of the former government, security forces, and members of armed anti-Taliban groups.
Amnesty International reiterated the need for an independent international accountability mechanism for Afghanistan. The organization has requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prioritize investigating the situation in Afghanistan since 2003 when the court has jurisdiction over the situation in the country.
