Local sources say that Taliban fighters in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province have arrested several children on charges of transporting goods along the border route between Spin Boldak and Chaman and beaten them in public.
Sources told the Hasht-e Subh Daily on Tuesday, September 29, that after being arrested, the children were lined up and tortured in front of other children.
According to the sources, some impoverished children smuggle various goods across the border every day along the route between Chaman and Spin Boldak.
Meanwhile, a video has also been published showing several children being arrested and tortured by Taliban fighters.
In the video, several other children can also be seen standing in line. The children were arrested and beaten the previous day.
The Taliban are beating these individuals on charges of transporting smuggled goods, while sources say that the Taliban themselves smuggle trucks carrying goods into Afghanistan every night.
Sources also say that along the smuggling routes between Spin Boldak and Chaman, people who fail to pay money to Taliban fighters are arrested and subjected to extrajudicial punishment.
