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Despite a "general amnesty" for former adversaries, the UN mission in Afghanistan reported that more than 200 former members of Afghanistan's military, law enforcement, and government have been killed since the Taliban gained power. According to the mission, at least 218 extrajudicial murders connected to the Taliban were documented.
According to the UN assistance mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), "In most cases, individuals were detained by de facto security forces, frequently briefly, before being killed."
Senior Taliban figures have previously claimed that former military personnel and government employees are eligible for amnesty. In response to the mission's findings, the foreign affairs ministry run by the Taliban stated that it had not been informed of any instances of order non-compliance. It further said that such cases would be looked into.
Volker Turk, the UN human rights chief, said the killings were a "betrayal of the people's trust" because the victims had been guaranteed they wouldn't be targeted, but Jeremy Laurence, the spokeswoman for the UN rights office, called the number of deaths "shocking" and predicted a higher real number.
"The apparent impunity with which members of the de facto authorities continue to commit human rights violations against former government officials and ANDSF members is of serious concern," UNAMA said, adding that "for the majority of violations discussed in this report, there is limited information regarding measures taken by the de facto authorities to investigate incidents and hold perpetrators accountable."
800 incidences of Taliban-related human rights abuses against former government officials and members of the military were documented by UNAMA overall. These included unjustified detentions, kidnappings, and torture.
