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| Afghanistan | |
| U.N. Says Over 100 Ex-Afghan Forces, Officials Slain since August | |
| 2022-02-01 | |
The United Nations has received "credible allegations" that more than 100 former members of the Afghan government, its security forces and those who worked with international troops have been killed since the Taliban took over the country Aug. 15, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says. In a report, Guterres said that "more than two-thirds" of the victims were alleged to result from extrajudicial killings by the Taliban or its affiliates, despite the Taliban's announcement of "general amnesties" for those affiliated with the former government and U.S.-led coalition forces. The U.N. political mission in Afghanistan also received "credible allegations of extrajudicial killings of at least 50 individuals suspected of affiliation with ISIL-KP," the Islamic State extremist group operating in Afghanistan, Guterres said in the report to U.N. Security Council. He added that despite Taliban assurances, the U.N. political mission has also received credible allegations "of enforced disappearances and other violations impacting the right to life and physical integrity" of former government and coalition members. Guterres said human rights defenders and media workers also continue "to come under attack, intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrest, ill-treatment and killings." Eight civil society activists were killed, including three by the Taliban and three by Islamic State extremists, and 10 were subjected to temporary arrests, beatings and threats by the Taliban, he said. Two journalists were killed — one by IS — and two were injured by unknown armed men. The secretary-general said the U.N. missions documented 44 cases of temporary arrests, beatings and threats of intimidation, 42 of them by the Taliban. On a positive note, Guterres reported "a significant decline" in the overall number of conflict-related security incidents as well as civilian casualties since the Taliban takeover. The U.N. recorded 985 security-related incidents between Aug. 19 and Dec. 31, a 91% decrease compared to the same period in 2020, he said.
Despite the reduction in violence, 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." Guterres said intra-Taliban tensions along ethnic lines and competition over jobs have also resulted in violence, pointing to armed clashes on Nov. 4 between between Taliban forces in Bamyan city. Related: National Resistance Front: 2021-12-08 Ahmad Masoud reportedly meets Blackwater Chief in Tajikistan National Resistance Front: 2021-09-18 Roads Into Panjshir Reopen, Telecom Services Resume National Resistance Front: 2021-09-12 Good Morning | |
| Posted by:badanov |