KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s intelligence agents have detained a member of the former Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in Kabul, according to local sources.
The former ANDSF member, identified by sources as Ghulam Nabi Baloch, who had served in Afghanistan’s intelligence agency under the republic government, was detained by Taliban agents in the Kart-e-Parwan area of Kabul city on Sunday, November 3.
Sources indicate that Baloch went to Iran after the Taliban’s return to power three years ago, returning to Afghanistan a year later following the Taliban’s announcement of a “general amnesty.”
A source claimed that after returning to Afghanistan, Baloch identified himself as a representative of the Baloch community and sought a position within the Taliban’s security institutions. However, he was reportedly unable to gain the group’s trust.
The reason for his arrest remains unclear, and the Taliban has not yet commented on the matter.
This incident follows a similar one last week, where the Taliban agents detained a former ANDSF member, identified as Aqa Jan Ahmadi, in eastern Kapisa province.
The Taliban, despite their claims of adhering to the “general amnesty” they announced after taking control of Afghanistan, have detained, tortured, and in some instances killed hundreds of former ANDSF members and other government employees over the past three years of their rule.
In a report published last year, the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented at least 800 human rights violations against former ANDSF members. These abuses, which occurred from the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 until June 2023, included extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, detentions, and torture.
The report highlighted 218 cases of extrajudicial killings of former security personnel and ex-officials, over 424 instances of arbitrary arrests and detentions, with the remaining cases involving torture, enforced disappearances, and other human rights violations.
Over the past three years, the UN and human rights organizations have consistently urged the Taliban regime to show genuine commitment to the “general amnesty” declared by their supreme leader. They have called for an end to further human rights violations, stressing the need to hold accountable those responsible for previous crimes.
