KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban have detained two more civilians in Afghanistan’s Panjshir province, local sources said, as the group intensifies its crackdown on residents of the province following an explosion in the area claimed by an anti-Taliban group.
The sources identified the men as Mir Ghiyas and Ghulam Akbar, residents of Abdullah Khil Valley in Dara district. They were detained by Taliban military units on Tuesday, October 27, and transferred to a Taliban military brigade, the sources said.
The two men are community elders who had been mediating with the Taliban to secure the release of other residents detained in the area, according to the sources.
The Taliban had previously detained four other residents, identified as Muslim, Shir Shah, Abdul Kabbar and Syedul Rahman, on suspicion of involvement in an explosion in Abdullah Khil Valley two weeks ago. The anti-Taliban group Green Trend claimed responsibility for the blast.
Following the explosion, the Taliban imposed strict restrictions on residents of Abdullah Khil Valley, deployed additional fighters and set up several checkpoints on roads leading to the area, the sources said. Taliban forces have been stopping and questioning residents as the crackdown continues.
The latest arrests form part of a broader pattern of detentions in Panjshir since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. Residents and human rights groups have repeatedly reported arbitrary arrests, torture and killings of civilians in the province.
In a report published last week by Etilaatroz and KabulNow, residents said dozens of people had been detained in recent days. They alleged prolonged interrogations, torture, extortion and, in some cases, forced displacement.
Human rights reports suggest that the Taliban’s widespread retaliation against residents of Panjshir and the violation of gross human rights amount to war crimes.
