KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Sources in Kabul reported that Rahmdel Hanafi, a member of the former Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), ended his life after the Taliban detained his wife.
Hanafi, originally from Panjshir province and a former member of the President’s Protective Services (PPS) during the previous government, committed suicide by hanging in Kabul’s District 2, according to sources.
Sources explained that Taliban intelligence agents recently attempted to arrest Hanafi, and when they could not locate him, they detained his wife on Tuesday night. Her fate and whereabouts remain unknown.
According to sources, after Hanafi’s relatives failed to secure his wife’s release from Taliban detention, he took his own life by hanging in the Qole Abchakan area of Kabul.
Sources further said that Hanafi fled to Iran following the collapse of the republic government and the Taliban takeover. He had recently returned with the guarantee of two Taliban members.
Taliban authorities have yet to comment on the incident or the detention of Hanafi’s wife.
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 the past three years of their rule, the Taliban have detained, tortured, and, in some cases, killed hundreds of former government officials, members of the former ANDSF, rights defenders, and civilians across the country.
In his quarterly report, covering the period from August to October, submitted to the UN Security Council on December 12, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres documented at least five killings, 14 arbitrary arrests and detentions, and four instances of torture of former government officials and former ANDSF members by the Taliban in the country.
In most cases, the Taliban accuse former ANDSF members, particularly those from Panjshir, of possessing weapons or collaborating with armed resistance groups such as the National Resistance Front (NRF) or the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF).
The UN and human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the Taliban for revenge killings and widespread human rights violations, urging the regime to uphold the rights and freedoms of all citizens, including former ANDSF members.
