KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Sources in Parwan, a central-northern province say the Taliban have detained six civilians, including two former members of Afghanistan’s security forces, in Salang district.
The sources identified two of the detainees as Raiees Agha Salangi and Nasrullah, who previously served in the police force under the former Afghan government. The four other detainees were identified as Sharif, Mohammad Agha, Mirwais and Sohrab, all of whom are students, according to the sources.
The six men were detained six days ago in Lalma-Sabzak village of Salang district and are currently being held at the Taliban’s counterterrorism department in Charikar, the sources said.
The families of the detainees have reportedly received no information about their whereabouts or condition.
According to the sources, the Taliban have accused the six men of attacking a Taliban checkpoint. However, the sources said the detainees are civilians and have no links to groups or movements opposing the Taliban.
The reported arrests in Parwan follow a similar case in Panjshir province earlier this month. On August 19, local sources said the Taliban had detained four young farmers in Pariyan district who, according to the sources, had no links to groups opposed to the Taliban. The four men were reportedly transferred to the provincial center following their arrest, and their whereabouts and condition remained unknown two days later.
The reported arrests come amid broader concerns over arbitrary detention in Afghanistan. In a report published in March 2026, UK-based rights group Rawadari documented at least 2,559 cases of unlawful detention in 2025, more than double the 885 cases recorded in 2024.
The detainees included 138 former government employees, 77 civil society members and human rights defenders, including seven women, and 192 people accused of links to opposition groups. Rawadari also reported that at least 80 former government employees were specifically targeted and that 40 civilians were killed by Taliban forces over alleged links to opposition groups.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly raised alarms over the lack of due process and the growing number of enforced disappearances under Taliban rule since their return to power in August 2021.
