RASC News Agency: Reliable sources report that the Taliban have detained two former military personnel in Panjshir province and a civilian in Kabul. A source in Panjshir disclosed that the arrests occurred over the past week. The former soldiers, identified as Mohammad Asghar and Mohammad Khalis, were both of Tajik ethnicity and had served in the Afghanistan National Army under the previous government. According to the source, Mohammad Khalis had recently returned from Iran and was apprehended on Thursday in the Abdullah Khil area. Meanwhile, a separate source in Kabul confirmed that the Taliban detained a civilian tailor named Abdul Hamid. Originally from Roiedarah village in the Shutul district of Panjshir province, Abdul Hamid was arrested on January 6.
It is important to note that over the past three years, the Taliban have reportedly detained and imprisoned more than 40,000 Tajik youths, predominantly from Panjshir. The motives behind the arrests of these three individuals remain unclear. However, their families and associates assert that their Tajik and Panjshiri identity is the primary reason for their detention. The Taliban have a documented history of arresting residents of Panjshir under accusations of collaborating with military opposition forces, often without substantial evidence.
The group has faced widespread allegations of arbitrary detentions, torture, and unjust imprisonment of Panjshir residents. Analysts contend that the Taliban’s ethnically charged policies treat Tajiks, particularly those from Panjshir and Andarab, as inherently suspect. Under the Taliban’s authoritarian and ethnically biased regime, being identified as a Panjshiri or Andarabi is, in practice, equivalent to presumed guilt without proof.
