The Afghan government has blasted a United Nations report that alleged the Kabul administration has killed and tortured 800 people since its takeover in August 2021.
The UN report detailed cases of extrajudicial killing, arbitrary arrest, torture and forced disappearance involving former Afghan government and security personnel who worked for the foreign occupation authorities.
But Afghan government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, denied the allegation saying on X: “The recent report of the UN representative in Afghanistan, which says that more than 800 people of the previous administration were killed and tortured by the forces of the Islamic Emirate, is not true and far from reality.”
He added: “Of course, some personal and unknown cases of revenge have been seriously investigated by the relevant bodies of the Islamic Emirate, which are limited in number.
“Unfortunately, instead of understanding the realities of Afghanistan and seeing positive developments, some organisations within the United Nations always seek negative aspects and spread propaganda which, indeed, damage their credibility.”
Upon taking power, the Islamic Emirate promised a general amnesty to former security force members who helped the NATO occupation.
Despite this, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) found that the majority of killings and disappearances of former Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) took place in the four months immediately following the IEA takeover. During that period UNAMA documented 148 extrajudicial killings.
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UNAMA documented another 70 extrajudicial killings taking place between January 1 and December 31, 2022, and has continued to document such incidents through 2023.
They say the IEA have also arbitrarily detained former ANDSF members, providing no basis for their detention and frequently holding them incommunicado.
According to the report, Afghan officials have attempted to dismiss these killings and disappearances as based on “personal enmity or revenge” and to downplay the numbers.
They have also not made public the results of any investigations or punishments.
