Sources: Taliban arrest eight former officials and military personnel in Ghor; their fate unknown

Kabul Times News | Ghor

Local sources in Ghor province say that Taliban forces have arrested eight former officials and military personnel in Ferozkuh city and Murghab district, and their status and whereabouts are unknown.

According to sources, these individuals were arrested on Tuesday, July 13, by forces affiliated with the Taliban in Ghor province. The detainees include Gul Ahmad Rostami, former head of the Martyrs and Disabled, Syed Rahman Rahmani, former director of the third district of Ferozkuh municipality, Musa Fidai, former head of border and tribal affairs, Zia-ul-Haq Joya, former director of the Department of Agriculture’s revenue, Fazal Ahmad, former employee of the National Directorate of Security, Naqibullah, former officer of the Ghor Police Command, and Mohammad Saleh and Mohammad Haider, former military personnel.

According to the report, Musa Fadaei, who currently works at the Afghanistan National Bank branch in Ghor, and Zia-ul-Haq Joya, who is an employee of the Taliban’s agriculture department in the province, were arrested while at their workplace in Firozkoh. Mohammad Haider was also arrested by Taliban forces on his way to Murghab district, along with other individuals in different areas of the district.

Sources say that the families of the detainees have approached the governor’s office, the intelligence department, and the Taliban’s security command in Ghor to inquire about their status, but officials from these institutions have stated that the arrests were made by the Taliban brigade without coordinating with local authorities.

According to the sources, the families’ visits to the Taliban brigade headquarters have also yielded no results, and the brigade’s officials have refused to provide any explanation about the fate of the detainees.

As of the time of publication of this report, the Taliban have not announced the reason for the arrests, and no official official from the group has commented on the matter.

This incident occurs at a time when the Taliban, after returning to power, had spoken of declaring a "general amnesty", but human rights organizations have repeatedly accused the group in recent years of detaining, torturing, and extrajudicially killing a number of former officials and military personnel.