KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources reported that Taliban intelligence agents have detained seven individuals, including former ANDSF members, in northeastern Panjshir province.
The men, identified by sources as Noor Zaman, Abdul Wahid, Abdul Haq, Amir Mohammad, Noorul Haq, and Zikrul Haq, were detained in the Dara district on Monday, November 18. The identity of one of the detainees has not been disclosed at the request of his family.
According to sources, among the detained individuals were members of the former Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) and former Jihadi commanders.
Sources said that despite their military background, these individuals had no connections to groups opposing the Taliban.
The Taliban authorities have not yet commented on the matter. However, the regime’s violent crackdown on residents of Panjshir province continues, subjecting the local population to abuse, intimidation, and coercion.
Two days ago, the Taliban arrested four residents of Panjshir, including two teachers, from the same Dara district. The Taliban authorities have not yet commented on this incident either.
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 has detained, tortured, and in some cases killed hundreds of residents of the province, often accusing them of collaborating with armed resistance groups or possessing weapons.
Activists and rights groups, including Amnesty International, argue that the Taliban’s repressive actions against the residents of Panjshir province constitute war crimes, citing widespread human rights abuse carried out by the regime in the region.
“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,” said Amnesty International last year.
