RASC News Agency: The harassment of citizens by Taliban members persists across various provinces of the country. Recently, some families have lodged complaints regarding the patrols conducted by these group members in residential areas and the harassment of families in Bamyan. Abdul Jabbar, an alias for a Bamyan province resident, informed the RASC news agency, “Taliban members roam our villages from morning till night, loudly chanting Taliban slogans in the alleys and backstreets, causing women and girls to feel unsafe leaving their homes.”
Abdul Ghafar, another alias for a Bamyan resident, reported, “Following the Taliban’s intelligence detention of several girls from this province, the group has resorted to forcibly abducting girls from families and putting them into their vehicles.” These Bamyan citizens recounted, “A few days ago, around noon, as I was passing through the Gowkosh area near the center of Bamyan, I witnessed a Taliban member chasing a young girl. Upon hearing the girl scream, the Taliban member glanced around, noticed my presence, and released the girl.” Another Bamyan resident, who preferred not to be named, remarked, “There is no semblance of management in the Taliban regime. At the local level, where no system exists, each Taliban member considers himself accountable only to Allah and is unanswerable to his superiors.”
He continued, “They all leave their barracks and duty stations daily, from morning till night, venturing into residential areas and causing disruptions for families.” These accounts emerge from Bamyan residents amidst the discovery of several bodies of women and girls brutally murdered in the province during the two and a half years of Taliban rule. Moreover, findings from a human rights organization’s report reveal that in the first six months of 2023 alone, the Taliban arbitrarily and unlawfully detained at least 222 individuals, including 23 women, across 16 Afghanistan provinces. Most of these individuals were non-military government employees, former Afghanistan government military personnel, human rights activists, journalists, ethnic elders, and Taliban opponents.
Throughout their over two-year rule, the Taliban have extensively violated human rights, particularly those of women and girls, former military personnel, and minorities. The curtailment of freedom of expression in Afghanistan under the Taliban’s governance has drawn severe condemnation. Over the past two years, several journalists have been rendered jobless, detained, and subjected to torture. Additionally, increasingly stringent restrictions have been imposed on media operations.
