KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban members have shot and killed two former soldiers who served during the republic government in Afghanistan’s eastern Parwan province, local sources reported.
Speaking with KabulNow today, the sources identified the victims as Fahim Jabli Qazikhani and Milad Siddiqi, who were arrested then killed by Taliban members in Bagram district on Monday, August 5.
According to sources, Qazikhani served as the commander of the special police forces in Parwan during the previous government. Both former ANDSF members were on their way to a relative’s house in Kapisa province when they were arrested and killed by the Taliban.
The Taliban accused the former soldiers of collaborating with the Islamic State’s regional affiliate, IS-KP. However, sources said that after the collapse of the previous government, they were leading normal lives and had no connection to any groups.
Meanwhile, another source in Parwan reported that Taliban agents have detained three people, including a former soldier, in the province. The detainees, identified as Fazil, Malik Shafiq, and Omid, were taken into custody on Monday, and their current fate and whereabouts remain unknown.
The Taliban authorities have yet to comment on these incidents.
Hekmatullah Shamim, the spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Parwan, has not responded to KabulNow’s request for comment.
Following their return to power in August 2021, the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, announced a “general amnesty” for employees of the previous government. Despite this, local commanders and members have continued to carry out revenge attacks, especially targeting former ANDSF members.
Over nearly three years, hundreds of former government officials, members of the previous security forces, and civilians have been detained, tortured, and killed under various accusations across the country.
In its quarterly report released last month, the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented at least 60 instances of arbitrary arrest and detention, 10 cases of torture and ill-treatment, and five killings of former soldiers and officials from the previous government.
In last year’s report, UNAMA documented over 800 cases of severe rights violations, including arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, and enforced disappearances. According to the report, the Taliban has extrajudicially killed more than 200 former soldiers and officials since the group’s takeover in August 2021.
“In most instances, individuals were detained by de facto security forces, often briefly, before being killed,” the report said.
“Some were taken to detention facilities and killed while in custody, others were taken to unknown locations and killed, their bodies either dumped or handed over to family members,” it added.
Human rights organizations have criticized the Taliban for revenge killings and widespread human rights violations, urging the regime to respect the rights and freedoms of all citizens, including former government soldiers.
