Despite their promises of a general amnesty, the Taliban continue to arrest former military personnel and civilians. In September 2024, they arrested around 81 people across 18 provinces and executed more than 25 individuals in 13 provinces. Some of these killings have been attributed to unidentified armed groups. Among those executed, 14 were killed by Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) at the Daykundi-Ghor border. The victims included former military personnel and civilians, accused of various offenses. The Taliban detained individuals for spreading critical content, being affiliated with anti-Taliban fronts, shaving their beards, or having ties to ISKP or the “Hizb ut-Tahrir” group. These figures, based on reports from the Hasht-e Subh Daily, suggest that due to widespread repression and censorship, the actual number of executions and imprisonments may be higher.
In September 2024, 25 people were executed in Takhar, Ghor, Ghazni, Nangarhar, Faryab, Daykundi, Khost, Badakhshan, Nuristan, Laghman, and Balkh provinces. Of these, around 15 killings were attributed to unidentified armed groups, but sources and relatives of the victims accused the Taliban of being responsible. Additionally, 13 Hazaras from Daykundi were executed near the Ghor border, along with a Sunni resident from Ghor who was passing through the area. ISKP claimed responsibility for the attack.
Last week, the Taliban shot six people in Takhar province and displayed their bodies in a market in the Baharak district center. Local sources reported that the Taliban left the bodies on public display in “Qayoom Bazaar” in Baharak district on Friday, September 20, for several hours. The group did not provide details about the victims’ identities, but sources claimed that the Taliban executed them on charges of theft.
Before these six executions, the Taliban killed Amanullah, a former local police commander of the previous government, in Rustaq district, Takhar province. Sources stated that the Taliban shot Amanullah, the leader of former local uprisings, in the village of Sarjoy as he was returning home.
The Taliban’s campaign of civilian killings continues, with reports of them brutally murdering a student in Ghor province. Sources say Kamaluddin Nizami, an accounting student at a university in Shiraz, Iran, had returned to Ferozkoh, the capital of Ghor, for the holidays. Taliban intelligence tortured him for three days before killing him.
In Badakhshan province, sources report that the Taliban’s head of education in Ishkashim district killed a teacher. The victim, Wali Mohammad Mosamim, taught mathematics and was about to be appointed as the district’s head of education. However, a Taliban official killed him in his office, according to sources.
Since the Taliban’s takeover, extrajudicial, serial, and mysterious killings have surged. After many of these incidents, sources and victims’ relatives often accuse the Taliban, though the group frequently blames unidentified armed groups while also claiming they have established nationwide security.
In the past month alone, three individuals were killed in Ghor, a former military member in Babaji district, Helmand province, a former security officer in Faryab province, a man and a woman in Shahristan district, Daykundi province, a young man in Mandol district, Nuristan province, another young man in Faryab province, the head of the previous government’s Directorate of Transportation in Nangarhar province, a student in Khost province, a teacher in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh province, a man in Rashidan district, Ghazni province, a young man in Laghman province, and a driver in Kunduz. The Taliban attribute these attacks to unidentified armed groups, but sources accuse the Taliban of being responsible for most of these killings.
Arrests of Former Military Personnel and Civilians by the Taliban
The Taliban have arrested a former military officer in Baghlan province, two former security forces members in Kabul, and one other individual in Nangarhar province. While the group offers no explanation for these arrests, sources close to the detainees report that the Taliban frequently target former military personnel, often accusing them of being involved in anti-Taliban activities as part of their broader revenge against those who once opposed them.
In addition to former security forces, the Taliban have arrested civilians and former government employees on various charges. Over the past month, they have detained around 65 individuals for reasons ranging from alleged collaboration with the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan to shaving their beards, clashing with nomads, publishing satirical content, and criticizing the Taliban. Many detainees were coerced into making confessions. The Taliban have also arrested some of their own members on charges of affiliation with Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP), as well as members of the “Hizb ut-Tahrir” group.
Reports show these arrests took place in Kabul, Takhar, Nangarhar, Ghazni, Herat, Panjshir, and Baghlan, and the whereabouts of many detainees remain unknown. Sources confirm that the families of those arrested are unaware of their relatives’ locations, and the Taliban have provided no further information. It has been reported multiple times that the Taliban arrest individuals on various pretexts, demanding money or weapons for their release.
In recent weeks, the Taliban have detained three civilians in Baghlan, four in Takhar, 25 in Ghazni, 17 in Panjshir, 15 in Badghis, and three in Herat. Although the Taliban regime employed some of these individuals after being hired during the previous government, the group has given no reasons for the arrests, which appear arbitrary. Sources claim many detainees have been tortured and coerced into making confessions.
Internal Purges and Allegations of ISKP Affiliation
The Taliban are grappling with severe internal divisions, leading to multiple clashes among their commanders and fighters across various provinces. These confrontations have escalated into the use of both light and heavy weapons. Amid rising tensions, the Taliban have arrested several of their fighters in some provinces, accusing them of belonging to the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP).
On Saturday, September 14, sources informed Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban arrested seven of their members on charges of collaborating with ISKP. According to these sources, the arrests targeted individuals within the Taliban’s military ranks, reflecting the group’s ongoing concerns about ISKP infiltrators in their ranks.
Taliban intelligence forces also arrested Amirjan Fouladi, a former military officer, in Bamyan province and transferred him to an undisclosed location. Fouladi’s family has not been informed of his whereabouts. Sources indicate he had recently served as the “Plan and Operations Manager” for the Taliban police command.
For over three years, the Taliban have openly supported commanders and fighters accused of crimes. When a video leaked showing a Taliban commander in Takhar province committing sexual assault, the group arrested the person who filmed the incident, not the perpetrator.
In addition, members of “Hizb ut-Tahrir,” who previously collaborated with the Taliban before their rise to power, have also faced arrests. On Thursday, August 22, Taliban intelligence in Takhar province detained several members of the group in Kalafgan district, rejecting mediation attempts by local elders. The Taliban had previously arrested other members of this ideological group.
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General recently presented a quarterly report on Afghanistan to the UN Security Council, revealing that between May 14 and July 31, 2,127 security incidents were recorded, marking a 53 percent increase from last year. The report also highlighted the ongoing torture, arrests, and killings of former military personnel, despite the Taliban’s promise of general amnesty. The arrest and killing of former government military personnel continue unchecked.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
درماندهگی شهروندان و سرکوبگری طالبان؛ در یک ماه ۸۰ تن بازداشت و ۳۸ تن تیرباران شدند | روزنامه ۸صبح
