KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban agents have arrested six individuals, including two teachers and a former soldier, in northeastern Panjshir province, according to local sources.
Speaking with KabulNow today, local sources stated that these individuals were arrested in Dara district on Monday, October 7.
The sources identified the detained individuals as Mujib and Sardar, both school teachers, along with Bulbul Shah, a former soldier, and three other civilians: Mir Agha, Waheed, and Hamid.
The Taliban has accused these individuals of being involved in a recent attack on the regime’s military base in the province. However, the sources have denied these accusations, saying that the detainees are civilians with no connections to any armed groups.
The attack occurred on Friday at a Taliban military base in the province and was claimed by the anti-Taliban group, the National Resistance Front (NRF). The armed group reported that the assault resulted in the deaths of 13 Taliban members and left two others injured.
The Taliban authorities have not yet commented on the detention of these individuals. However, the regime’s violent crackdown on residents of Panjshir province continues, subjecting the local population to abuse, intimidation, and coercion.
Panjshir province, located north of Kabul, has served as the primary stronghold for two armed anti-Taliban groups: the National Resistance Front (NRF) and the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF). Consequently, the region has experienced some of the most severe collective punishments from the Taliban over the past three years.
The Taliban regime has detained, tortured, and, in some instances, killed hundreds of residents in Panjshir, often accusing them of collaborating with armed groups or possessing weapons.
Rights groups, activists, and anti-Taliban factions argue that the regime’s repressive actions against the residents of Panjshir province amount to war crimes. They point to widespread abuses, including unlawful detentions, torture, and killings carried out by the Taliban in the region.
In a report released last year, the international rights organization Amnesty International indicated that the Taliban committed the war crime of collective punishment against residents of Panjshir province.
“While many of the acts taken by Taliban forces individually constitute war crimes, the entirety of those acts – plus the additional arbitrary detentions and restrictions on the civilian population – also constitute the war crime of collective punishment,” the rights group said.
