KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The UN has documented at least six killings of former security personnel and 23 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention of former Afghan government officials, including soldiers, by the Taliban over the past three months.
In its quarterly report covering January to March 2025, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) revealed that many of these arrests occurred in Kabul and Panjshir. Some of the detainees were accused of ties to resistance groups.
The report also highlighted civilian casualties resulting from attacks claimed by the Islamic State’s regional affiliate (ISKP), armed groups—particularly the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF)—and explosions from leftover war explosives. It further noted that cross-border incidents in eastern Afghanistan contributed to the civilian toll.
According to the report, on January 18, an AFF attack in Pul-e-Khumri, Baghlan province, killed one man and injured 18 others, including a woman and a child. However, the AFF denied harming civilians, saying the attack specifically targeted a Taliban vehicle and only Taliban members were killed and injured.
UNAMA also recorded a Chinese citizen’s death in Takhar province, an explosion near Kabul Bank in Kunduz, and an attack on the Taliban’s Ministry of Urban Development in Kabul, all claimed by ISKP. Additionally, 42 civilian casualties were documented due to landmines and explosive remnants of war, with most victims being children.
The report also sheds light on the persecution of religious minorities, particularly the Ismaili community. According to the report, at least 50 Ismailis in Badakhshan province were forced to convert to Sunni Islam. The Taliban has also established several madrassas in Ismaili areas, enrolling children in Sunni religious education.
UNAMA expressed concern over the Taliban’s continued use of corporal punishment. Between January and March, at least 180 individuals, including 35 men and three girls, were publicly flogged across Afghanistan.
The Taliban has yet to respond to the latest UN report, but it has previously dismissed similar findings as “propaganda.”
