Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, has responded to a recent report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), saying that instead of trying to bring the Taliban and the international community closer together, the mission engages in “propaganda” against the group and seeks to portray it negatively.
Mujahid said on Thursday, October 15, that UNAMA had described the detention of some individuals by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and other Taliban institutions as “arbitrary” in its latest report.
He claimed that the detentions had been carried out in accordance with the Taliban’s laws and regulations, to prevent improper conduct and reform individuals.
Mujahid said: “Regarding UNAMA’s latest report, we call on the office, as an impartial international body, to conduct its assessments based on accurate information and objective facts.”
His remarks come as UNAMA stated in its latest report that it had documented at least 443 cases of arbitrary detention and 97 cases of mistreatment of women and men in Afghanistan by the Taliban’s Morality Police over three months.
