Residents of the Kojan village in Paryan district of Panjshir province have complaints about the conduct of Bilal Ahmad, known as Abed Khalil, one of the fighters of the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense affiliated with the Central Corps of Panjshir. They say that Abed Khalil treats residents violently and detains young people and residents of this village under various pretexts. According to them, this Taliban fighter also fails to observe social respect in his dealings with the village’s elders and elderly individuals, and in various instances has treated them with insulting language.
Residents of Kojan, Panjshir, add that in the most recent case, following aerial gunfire in the village, Abed Khalil, along with forces under his command, detained three young men and transferred them to an unknown location. According to them, the families of these young men still have no information about their fate.
These Panjshir residents, speaking with the Hasht-e Subh Daily, say that they have repeatedly raised their complaints with the command of the Taliban’s Central Corps in Panjshir, but no action has been taken to address them so far. They emphasize that the continuation of this situation has created fear and concern among residents and call on the Taliban to address their complaints.
Sattar (pseudonym), one of the residents of Panjshir, has complaints about the conduct of Bilal Ahmad, known as Abed Khalil, one of the fighters of the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense affiliated with the Central Corps of Panjshir. He says that Abed Khalil has been serving at checkpoints in Paryan district for about two years, and during this time has treated residents, particularly young people, violently and has detained them under various pretexts. According to Sattar, this Taliban fighter’s conduct has not been limited to beatings alone, as in some instances he has also treated the village’s elders and elderly individuals with insulting language.
Sattar says: “For about two years, this Taliban officer has treated the village’s people violently under various pretexts and has beaten several residents. In some cases, he has also treated the village’s elders and elderly individuals with insulting language, and this situation has created fear and discontent among the people.”
Mostaan (pseudonym), another resident of Panjshir, says that Abed Khalil not only treats residents in an insulting and violent manner but also detains village residents under various pretexts. He adds that in the most recent case, following aerial gunfire in Kojan village, three young men were detained by forces under Abed Khalil’s command and transferred to an unknown location.
Mostaan says: “At around 11 p.m., unidentified individuals fired shots into the air in Kojan village. Afterward, Taliban forces under the command of Bilal Ahmad, known as Abed Khalil, detained three young men from this village and transferred them to an unknown location. To this day, the families of these young men have no information about their whereabouts or condition.” According to this young man, the families of these three young men are worried about their fate and are demanding clarity about their whereabouts and condition.
Masoud (pseudonym), another resident of Panjshir, also says that Abed Khalil has, in various instances, attributed insecurity incidents to residents and has detained a number of them on charges of ties to groups opposed to the Taliban. He adds that this Taliban officer’s treatment of the people ranges from beatings and insults to the detention of individuals.
This Panjshir resident says: “A few nights ago, following gunfire whose source is unclear, three young men from the village were detained under the pretext of having ties to opposition groups and transferred to the Panjshir Corps. They are still being held, and their families, including myself, are worried about their fate. Most of these young men are the breadwinners of their families and have wives and children. Before their detention, they worked in a gold mine and had no connection whatsoever to opposition groups.”
Sediq (pseudonym), another resident of Panjshir, says that residents have repeatedly complained to the Taliban about Abed Khalil’s conduct, but these complaints have so far produced no results. He adds that the continued presence of this Taliban member in the area has increased fear and concern among the people.
Sediq says: “Bilal Ahmad has been serving in various parts of Panjshir for more than three years, and during this time, he has caused a great deal of hardship for residents. He also behaves in an insulting manner toward local elders, and detains people whenever he finds a pretext to do so. We have complained about this repeatedly, but so far we have received no result.”
The complaints of Panjshir residents about arbitrary detentions and the detention of individuals on charges of cooperation with the National Resistance Front and other Taliban opponents come as the human rights organization Rawadari said in a report that the Taliban have arbitrarily and unlawfully detained at least 6,043 people over the past five years.
According to this organization’s findings, 1,366 of those detained were accused of cooperation, membership, or connection with groups opposed to the Taliban. Rawadari also said that at least 51 prisoners have died as a result of torture in Taliban detention facilities, and 171 others have been forcibly disappeared.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
بازداشت سه جوان در کوجان پنجشیر؛ باشندهگان از رفتار یک افسر طالبان شکایت دارند
