Herat, Afghanistan — The Taliban have detained an employee of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat, according to local sources.
The detained individual has been identified as Mohammadmir Rasa, an ethnic Uzbek activist who was working for TIKA in Herat. Sources said he was arrested on Tuesday (January 27) from his workplace.
According to the sources, Rasa was later transferred from Herat to the capital, Kabul. They added that Taliban forces used violence during the arrest, though further details remain unclear.
It is not known which Taliban department carried out the detention, and no official statement has been issued by the Taliban authorities regarding the reasons for his arrest.
Mohammadmir Rasa is originally from Sar-e Pol province. The motive behind his detention has not yet been disclosed.
TIKA, a Turkish government aid agency, has been involved in development and humanitarian projects in Afghanistan for years. There has been no immediate comment from Turkish officials regarding the incident.
