Taliban killed over 100 ex-officials and soldiers since takeover, UN says

Afghanistan faces a growing humanitarian emergency, an enormous economic contraction and the worst drought in 27 years, report warns

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said intra-Taliban tensions along ethnic lines and competition over jobs also resulted in violence in Afghanistan. AP

The Taliban have killed more than 100 former Afghan government officials and security forces members, as well as scores of people accused of having links with the local affiliate of ISIS, the UN said on Monday.

A report by the UN, which also condemned widespread kidnapping of human rights activists and media workers said that the killings are extrajudicial — victims are often "disappeared" and executed, and have become endemic.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres presented the findings of the “enforced disappearances and other violations affecting the right to life and physical integrity” of former government and coalition members.

Mr Guterres said that the killings of government officials had gone ahead despite the Taliban’s announcement of “general amnesties” for those affiliated with the former government and US-led coalition forces.

The UN political mission in Afghanistan reiterated that it had received “credible allegations of extrajudicial killings of at least 50 individuals suspected of affiliation with ISIS-KP”, the ISIS extremist group operating in Afghanistan, an allegation also made in December.

Mr Guterres said human rights defenders and media workers also continue “to come under attack, intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrest, ill-treatment and killings.”

Activists murdered

Eight civil society activists were killed, including three by the Taliban and three by ISIS extremists, and 10 were subjected to temporary arrests, beatings and threats by the Taliban, he said. Two journalists were killed — one by ISIS — and two were injured by unknown armed men.

The secretary general said the UN missions documented 44 cases of temporary arrests, beatings and threats of intimidation, 42 of them by the Taliban.

The Taliban overran most of Afghanistan as US and Nato forces were in the final stages of their chaotic withdrawal from the country after 20 years. They entered Kabul on August 15 without any resistance from the Afghan army or the country’s president, Ashraf Ghani, who fled.

The Taliban initially promised a general amnesty for those linked to the former government and international forces, and tolerance and inclusiveness towards women and ethnic minorities. However, the Taliban have renewed restrictions on women and appointed an all-male government, which have met with dismay by the international community.

Afghanistan’s aid-dependent economy was already stumbling when the Taliban seized power, and the international community froze Afghanistan’s assets abroad and halted economic support, recalling the Taliban’s reputation for brutality during its 1996-2001 rule and refusal to educate girls and allow women to work.

Looming famine

Mr Guterres said: “The situation in Afghanistan remains precarious and uncertain six months after the Taliban takeover as the multiple political, socio-economic and humanitarian shocks reverberate across the country.”

He said Afghanistan today faces multiple crises: a growing humanitarian emergency, an enormous economic contraction, the crippling of its banking and financial systems, the worst drought in 27 years, and the Taliban’s failure to form an inclusive government and restore the rights of girls to education and women to work.

“An estimated 22.8 million people are projected to be in crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity until March 2022,” the UN chief said. “Almost nine million of these will be at 'emergency’ levels of food insecurity — the highest number in the world. Half of all children under five are facing acute malnutrition.”

On a positive note, Mr Guterres reported “a significant decline” in the overall number of conflict-related security incidents as well as civilian casualties since the Taliban takeover. The UN recorded 985 security-related incidents between August 19 and December 31, a 91 per cent decrease compared to the same period in 2020, he said.

The eastern, central, southern and western regions accounted for 75 per cent of all recorded incidents, he said, with Nangarhar, Kabul, Kunar and Kandahar ranking as the most conflict-affected provinces.

Despite the reduction in violence, Mr Guterres said the Taliban face several challenges, including rising attacks against their members.

“Some are attributed to the National Resistance Front comprising some Afghan opposition figures, and those associated with the former government,” he said. “These groups have been primarily operating in Panjshir Province and Baghlan’s Andarab District but have not made significant territorial inroads” though “armed clashes are regularly documented, along with forced displacement and communication outages.”

Mr Guterres said intra-Taliban tensions along ethnic lines and competition over jobs also resulted in violence, pointing to armed clashes on November 4 between Taliban forces in Bamyan city.

In the report, the secretary general proposed priorities for the UN political mission in the current environment, urged international support to prevent widespread hunger and the country’s economic collapse, and urged the Taliban to guarantee women’s rights and human rights.