KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban have confirmed the arrest of Allahdad Fedaee, a former police commander under Afghanistan’s previous government, on accusations of links to an armed opposition group, Taliban-affiliated media reported on Saturday.
In posts on X, Hindukush Voice, a media outlet affiliated with the Taliban’s intelligence agency, said Fedaee was arrested by Taliban security forces “some time ago.” It accused him of working with the Afghanistan United Front, led by Sami Sadat, a former Afghan army commander.
The outlet released several audio recordings it said were exchanged between Fedaee and Sadat, claiming they discussed plans for attacks against the Taliban in Nuristan and Laghman provinces.
In another recording attributed to Sadat, a speaker discusses an agreement with “a neighboring country” to obtain resources and equipment. The same recording mentions a person named Habib who was said to be exploring possible routes from Pakistan’s Bajaur and Dir districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province into Nuristan and Kunar.
The Afghanistan United Front rejected the allegations and dismissed the audio recordings as fabricated using artificial intelligence.
In a statement posted on X, the group said the recordings are part of a campaign of fabrication and public deception, accusing the Taliban of seeking to use them to justify further arrests, repression and torture of former Afghan defence and security personnel.
The group did not specifically mention Fedaee or clarify whether he has any affiliation with the front.
Several media outlets had earlier reported that Taliban forces arrested Fedaee at his home in Kabul in early November.
During the previous Afghan government, Fedaee served as police chief in Maidan Wardak, Laghman, Nimroz and Baghlan provinces. He moved to Iran after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. It remains unclear when and how he returned to Afghanistan.
Fedaee’s arrest is the latest reported case involving the detention of former Afghan security personnel, despite a general amnesty announced by Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada after the group’s return to power in August 2021. In most such cases, the Taliban accuse former security personnel of links to armed groups or of possessing weapons.
The Afghanistan United Front has previously said it documented the killings of at least 184 former Afghan security personnel by the Taliban over a three-month period. Some of the victims were subjected to what the group described as “horrific torture” before being killed.
In a report published in August 2023, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented at least 800 human rights violations against former Afghan government officials and members of the security forces between August 15, 2021, and June 30, 2023.
