Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021, hundreds of members of the U.S.-backed former government have been detained, tortured or killed under the new government, despite Taliban leaders’ declaration of amnesty for actions during the long civil war, the United Nations reported on Tuesday.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a new report that it had documented “at least 218 extrajudicial killings of former government officials,” primarily police officers and soldiers, committed by members of the new government, though the pace had slowed greatly since the first months after the takeover.
“In most instances, individuals were detained by de facto security forces, often briefly, before being killed,” it said.
“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 killings were among some 800 documented human rights violations against members of the former government from the Taliban takeover on Aug. 15, 2021, until June 30, 2023, the U.N. mission said.
The majority took place before the end of 2021, the report said.
Persons:
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Organizations:
United Nations, United Nations Assistance, “
Locations:
Afghanistan, U.S