Taliban reject UN report alleging 100 officials of previous Afghan govt killed after US exit

FEB 1: The Taliban has rejected a UN report alleging more than 100 officials and members of the security forces from the previous government were killed by the Taliban or its affiliates following the US exit from Afghanistan.

This comes after reports emerged that more than 100 members of the Ashraf Ghani government, its security forces and people who worked with international troops have been killed since the Taliban seized power in August last year. "The MoI (Ministry of Interior) rejected a UN report seen by Reuters alleging that over 100 officials & security force members of the previous govt were killed by the Islamic Emirate or its allies after the US pullout. The Islamic Emirate has killed no one following the general amnesty," the Taliban-led MoI was quoted as saying by TOLONews.

In this damning report, UN chief Antonio Guterres said that most of the deaths were reportedly resulted from extrajudicial killings by the Taliban or its affiliates, despite the general amnesty for those affiliated with the former government. "Despite announcements of general amnesties for former members of the Government, security forces and those who worked with international military forces, [the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan] UNAMA continued to receive credible allegations of killings, enforced disappearances, and other violations" against former government and coalition members, the report said, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

Special Representatives and Special Envoys of the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, the UK and the US met in Oslo last Monday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. Following the meeting, the Western envoys in a statement raised concern about the importance of respect for human rights and the strong need for an inclusive and representative political system to ensure stability and a peaceful future for Afghanistan.

The Special Representatives urged the Taliban to do more to stop the alarming increase of human rights violations, including arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, media crackdowns, extra-judicial killings, torture and prohibitions on women and girls' education, employment and freedom to travel without a male escort.