MONITORING (SW) – A New York Times opinion investigation reveals that nearly 500 former Afghan security forces and government officials were killed or forcibly disappeared during the Taliban’s first six months in power as the Islamic Emirate.
It reported that these people were fighting for a democratic country and relied on the US for protection, but after America pulled they were hunted down, tortured and executed by the Taliban.
“We’ve built the most extensive database of revenge killings in Afghanistan. Our investigation lasted seven months and with the help of nine journalists across Afghanistan, we individually verified each killing and forced disappearance. We analyzed videos recorded by the Taliban, data collected by human rights organizations and spoke to witnesses and grieving family members”, it reported.
The report said the Taliban want the world to think that they’ve changed. “They’ve welcomed the international press, promised to uphold human rights and pledged amnesty to those who fought against them.
“Our findings prove that this was a lie warning”, it reported.
It said to have verified hundreds of stories of killings.
“It’s impossible to confirm all of them in part because relatives are often too afraid to speak out fearing retribution. And even if families were courageous enough to pursue justice, where would they go? The Taliban are the police, They are the courts, they are Afghanistan”, it said.
The report has verified 86 killings that have happened across the country, both in the north where there is strong Taliban resistance due to ethnic divisions and even in the south, the Taliban’s birthplace. “We’ve confirmed killings and forced disappearances in all but two of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces And they’re still happening”, reported the NYT.
It added there were more than 100,000 Afghan soldiers. “Only a small percentage have been killed and of course it’s possible that some were not ordered executions, but instead personal scores settled during a chaotic time but make no mistake. The Taliban’s revenge campaign is deliberate and widespread and because it’s ongoing, countless soldiers are forced to remain in hiding”.
it reported that at first, the Taliban refused to even admit to the killings saying these allegations are totally baseless, totally wrong and are propaganda. “Since then, the Taliban have acknowledged some revenge killings but they blame a few rogue actors while still denying a coordinated campaign”, it reported.
Millions of people in Afghanistan are facing starvation in what’s fast becoming the worst humanitarian crisis on earth. And the Taliban desperately need foreign aid. So they’ve created a facade of a reformed Taliban in order to win the support of western countries.
ENDS
