KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban forces have detained at least ten people, including three former soldiers, in Afghanistan’s northeastern Panjshir province, local sources reported.
According to the sources, the arrests took place on Sunday, June 1, in the Anaba district.
A relative of one detainee told KabulNow that the Taliban’s Lowa-e-Khas (special brigade) carried out the arrests. The detainees are being held at the brigade’s headquarters in the province.
The reasons for the detentions remain unclear. Local Taliban authorities have not yet commented. Sources say all the detained are civilians, with no links to armed groups. Some were recently deported from Iran.
Panjshir, located north of Kabul, is a stronghold for two anti-Taliban groups: The National Resistance Front (NRF) and the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF).
The province has seen harsh collective punishments from the Taliban over the past nearly four years. Hundreds of residents have been detained, tortured, or killed, often accused of supporting the armed groups or possessing weapons.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, say the Taliban’s actions in Panjshir amount to war crimes. They highlight widespread abuses, including arbitrary detentions and restrictions on civilians.
“Many acts by Taliban forces individually constitute war crimes,” Amnesty said in 2023, “and together they amount to the war crime of collective punishment.”
