Over 100 Former Afghan Forces Killed Or Disappeared By Taliban: Rights Group

Over 100 police and intelligence officers in Afghanistan have been either killed or disappeared in action by the Talibani officials.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has documented the killing or disappearance of 47 former members of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) – military personnel, police, intelligence service members, and militia – who had surrendered to or were arrested by Taliban forces between August 15 and October 31.

The rights group gathered credible information on more than 100 killings from Ghazni, Helmand, Kandahar, and Kunduz provinces alone.

“The Taliban leadership’s promised amnesty has not stopped local commanders from summarily executing or disappearing former Afghan security force members,” said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

“The burden is on the Taliban to prevent further killings, hold those responsible to account, and compensate the victims’ families.”

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) interviewed 40 people in-person in the four provinces and another 27 by telephone. These included witnesses, relatives and friends of victims, former government officials, journalists, healthcare workers, and Taliban members.

A Taliban commander said that those responsible for atrocities “cannot be forgiven.”

The Taliban leadership has directed members of surrendering security force units to register to receive a letter guaranteeing their safety, Human Rights Watch said.

However, Taliban forces had used these screenings to detain and summarily execute or forcibly disappear people within days after they register, leaving their bodies for their relatives or communities to find.