The Islamic Emirate denied a New York Times “Opinion Video” claiming hundreds of killings and disappearances of former Afghan security forces have occurred since the Islamic Emirate came to power.
A spokesman for the Islamic Emirate said that such reports are intended to create mistrust between the people and government.
The New York Times reported that nearly 500 former government officials and members of the Afghan security forces were killed and disappeared in several provinces during the first six months of the Islamic Emirate government.
The report claimed that the Islamic Emirate has not remained committed to the general amnesty and has sought revenge against some former Afghan security forces.
According to the report, many of those killed were from the southern province of Kandahar and northern province of Baghlan.
The report listed other provinces where alleged killings and disappearances have happened: Kabul, Nangarhar, Herat, Uruzgan, Badakhshan, Takhar, Khost, Helmand, Balkh, Ghazni and Kunduz.
The report included interviews with families of the victims. “My father was a hero. I saw my father in the morgue and his face was pale as snow. My heart felt like it was on fire. The Taliban’s only goal is to kill, and everyday their revenge campaigns intensify,” said a victim’s son.
“They started beating me and threw me in a water well, while telling me, ‘you have fought against us for so many years and killed so many of our best people’. I really believed that they were going to kill me,” said a former security officer who was allegedly tortured by the Islamic Emirate. “So many of my fellow soldiers were also thrown into the water well. These brutalities still continue to this day.”
Analysts gave their views on the topic:
“Maybe their comments have some truth. But the international community and Afghans must not forget that when the Islamic Emirate came to power there was a major change in Afghanistan and we have faced a lot of problems and will still have some problems,” said Andar, a political analyst.
“An investigation was conducted and interviews were made with the families. It is an accurate investigation. If this investigation is further confirmed, it is dangerous. No one will trust the Taliban, especially the former security forces, they will find a way to get out of the country,” said Aziz Marij, a military analyst.
The Islamic Emirate denied the report and said that such reports are intended to create mistrust between the people and the government.
“The report of the the New York Times is absolutely baseless in this regard. It is not true, and biased. It aims to create mistrust between the government and people of Afghanistan. There was no such things, in fact,” said Inamullah Samangani, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate.
However, many human rights watchdog groups have reported killings of former Afghan security forces, and the Islamic Emirate has denied the reports.
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) of the Islamic Emirate rejected a UN report seen by Reuters alleging that over 100 officials and security force members of the previous government were killed by the Islamic Emirate or its allies after the US forces withdrew from the country.
On Monday, Reuters reported that the UN Chief Antonio Guterres in a report to the UN Security Council said the UN mission in Afghanistan “continues to receive credible allegations of killings, enforced disappearances and other violations” against former officials, security force members and people who worked for foreign troops in Afghanistan.
“The mission has determined as credible reports that more than 100 of those individuals have been killed – more than two-thirds of them allegedly by the Taliban or their affiliates – since Aug. 15,” the report said as quoted by Reuters. “Human rights defenders and media workers continue to come under attack, intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrest, ill-treatment and killings.”
The MoI, reacting to the report, said that after the general amnesty no one has been killed by Islamic Emirate forces. The MoI rejected the UN’s report, saying the UN should make itself familiar with the realities on the ground and not rely on information that may have been provided by “biased circles.”
“The Islamic Emirate killed no one after the general amnesty,” the MoI said. According to the MoI, some members of the former security forces might have been targeted due to personal disputes, adding that it is investigating such cases.
Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also rejected the UN report, stressing that under the general amnesty no one is allowed to take such actions.
Guterres also raised concerns over Afghanistan’s economy saying it is on a downward spiral and he called for the injection of liquidity into the country. “To pull it back from the brink, liquidity must be rapidly injected. Time is of the essence. Without action, lives will be lost, and despair and extremism will grow,” he said on Sunday.
The UN chief has also recommended that the Security Council approve a restructuring of the UN mission in Afghanistan to deal with the situation, including the creation of a new human rights monitoring unit.—Tolonews
