KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban has detained a member of the former Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) after he was deported from Iran, according to local sources.
The sources identified the former military personnel as Abdul Ghafar, originally from the northeastern Panjshir province, who was detained in the border region between Afghanistan and Iran in Nimruz province on Monday.
According to the sources, Abdul Ghafar was an employee of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) during the previous government. Fearing Taliban retaliation, he, like thousands of former ANDSF members, fled Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
The Taliban authorities have not yet commented on the matter.
Following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, thousands of employees of the former government, particularly former ANDSF members, fled the country, mostly to neighboring Iran and Pakistan.
However, the recent crackdown and mistreatment of Afghan refugees in neighboring countries left them with no choice but to return to the country they had fled to escape Taliban retaliation and persecution.
Shortly after their return to power, the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, declared a “general amnesty” that included members of the former ANDSF.
However, since then, the regime, particularly its local commanders and fighters, has repeatedly violated the declared amnesty by detaining, torturing, and in some cases, killing dozens of former soldiers across Afghanistan.
Former ANDSF members from Panjshir province, a stronghold of armed anti-Taliban groups, have been particularly vulnerable to the Taliban crackdown. In most cases, the regime accuses them of collaborating with the armed groups or possessing weapons.
According to KabulNow data, the Taliban detained at least seven former ANDSF members in November alone, mostly in Panjshir province. Some cases remain unreported due to Taliban media restrictions, especially in remote areas.
In its latest report to the UN Security Council, the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented at least 24 cases of arbitrary detention, 10 cases of torture, and five cases of revenge killings of former soldiers between July and September 2024.
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.
