RASC News Agency: The Taliban has escalated its campaign of detaining individuals under various pretexts in recent months. Among those targeted is Habibullah, the former governor of Dawlat Shah and Alingar districts in Laghman Province during the previous government. According to local sources, he is currently imprisoned in the province. On Sunday, January 5, sources reported that Taliban forces apprehended Habibullah from his residence last Wednesday. Relatives of the detainee told the media, “Until last Wednesday, he was actively fulfilling his duties. Two Taliban officials arrived at his home and took him away.
He had no conflicts with anyone, which is why he was able to continue his work under the Taliban’s rule.” Efforts by tribal elders to meet Habibullah in person were blocked, as local Taliban authorities denied their request, a source revealed. The Taliban has so far issued no statement regarding the arrest. This incident follows a pattern of increasing detentions by the Taliban, particularly targeting former officials in Laghman Province. Despite Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada’s proclamation of a “general amnesty” after the group’s return to power, numerous reports have emerged of extrajudicial killings and disappearances, especially of former military personnel.
Over the past three years, consistent accounts have documented the Taliban’s systematic arrests and torture of individuals associated with the previous government. Many victims have succumbed to severe mistreatment during their detention. The Taliban’s campaign of arrests has also been marked by ethnic profiling. Earlier reports revealed that young men from northern Afghanistan were detained and subjected to torture solely for their Tajik ethnicity.
