More than 200 extrajudicial killings of former Afghan government officials and security forces have taken place since the Taliban took over the country two years ago, according to a UN report released on Tuesday. The groups most targeted by the Taliban have been former army, police and intelligence forces, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
UNAMA documented at least 800 human rights violations against former Afghan government officials and security forces between August 15, 2021, when the Taliban seized power, and the end of June 2023.
The Taliban swept across Afghanistan as US and NATO troops were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from the country after two decades of war. The US-trained and backed Afghan forces crumbled in the face of the Taliban advance and former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
“Individuals were detained by the de facto (Taliban) security forces, often briefly, before being killed. Some were taken to detention facilities and killed while in custody, others were taken to unknown locations and killed, their bodies either dumped or handed over to family members,” the report said.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a press release issued alongside the report that it “presents a sobering picture of the treatment of individuals affiliated with the former government and security forces”.
The Taliban-led Afghan foreign ministry dismissed the report, saying it was unaware of any cases of human rights violations committed by Taliban officials or employees.
“Murder without trial, arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, and other acts against human rights by the employees of the security institutions of the Islamic Emirate against the employees and security forces of the previous government have not been reported,” it said in a statement.
The report said former Afghan soldiers were at greatest risk of experiencing human rights violations, followed by police and intelligence officials. Violations were recorded across all 34 provinces, with the greatest number recorded in Kabul, Kandahar and Balkh provinces. The majority of violations took place in the four months following the Taliban takeover, with UNAMA recording almost half of all extrajudicial killings of former government officials and Afghan security forces during this period. But rights violations continued even after that, with 70 extrajudicial killings recorded in 2022, the report added.
UN Report: Disturbing
Arrests, torture, and instability concerns emerge
- UN records over 424 arbitrary arrests of Afghan officials and security personnel.
- Over 144 cases of torture and ill-treatment documented.
- Abuse includes beatings with pipes, cables, and verbal threats.
