RASC News Agency: Reports from Nimroz province indicate that the Taliban have arrested 20 individuals in the past two days on various allegations, including human trafficking. According to sources, five individuals were detained yesterday Tuesday, January 21, in the third district of Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz. Witnesses claim that the detainees were subjected to physical abuse and torture during their arrest. A day earlier, on Monday, Taliban forces reportedly apprehended 15 other individuals in Nimroz on charges of human trafficking. Local residents allege that many of these arrests are arbitrary, targeting individuals who have committed no offense or crime.
In recent months, dozens of residents in Nimroz have been arrested on various pretexts, with many taken to prisons or undisclosed locations without formal charges or due process. Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada recently issued a directive instructing the Ministries of Interior and Defense, along with the General Directorate of Intelligence, to intensify efforts to combat human trafficking. The order mandates the arrest of traffickers and their referral to military courts. The directive also stipulates harsh treatment for suspected human traffickers, including imprisonment and torture, with sentences ranging from one to three years.
Since the decree’s issuance, there have been multiple reports of intensified crackdowns by Taliban authorities against individuals accused of involvement in human trafficking. Nimroz, located in southwestern Afghanistan, serves as a critical transit route for illegal migration and human trafficking into Iran. In response, the Taliban have recently imposed strict movement restrictions in the Dakk border area of Chahar Burjak district. The arrests come amid a deteriorating economic situation and escalating unemployment across the country, which have compelled many Afghanistanis to seek illegal and often perilous migration routes to Iran and other neighboring countries.
Illegal migration remains a high-risk endeavor, frequently resulting in tragedy. Afghanistani migrants attempting these routes are often subjected to shootings by border guards, accidents, starvation, or other life-threatening conditions, with numerous fatalities reported over recent years.
