RASC News Agency: Local sources in Bamyan report that the Taliban have arrested three foreign nationals, along with their interpreter and driver, in Yakawlang District. According to these sources, the detainees include two women and one man. Official identity documents obtained by media outlets indicate that two of the detainees believed to be a married couple hold Afghanistani national identification cards. Their places of birth are listed as Sri Lanka and Singapore, respectively. The third foreign national, a woman holding a U.S. passport, is originally a Chinese citizen. A well-informed source stated that these individuals were detained on Saturday, February 1, in the Zarin area of Yakawlang District. The detainees had traveled from Kabul to Bamyan aboard a Paktik Airlines flight, where their local interpreter and driver had been waiting for their arrival at Zarin Airport.
According to the source, Taliban security forces in Yakawlang apprehended the foreign nationals immediately upon their arrival at Zarin Airport, detaining them along with their interpreter and driver. Additionally, the Taliban authorities confiscated and sealed their vehicle. Sources further reveal that the foreign couple, who hold Afghanistani identification documents, have been residing in Yakawlang for the past three years, while the Chinese-American woman was visiting them as a guest. The couple’s precise activities in the region remain undisclosed, but documents reviewed by media outlets suggest they identified themselves as businesspersons.
The exact reasons for their arrest remain unclear; however, their interpreter has insisted that they had informed the Taliban authorities about their travel plans in advance. Thus far, local Taliban officials in Bamyan have not issued any statements regarding the matter. Since seizing power in Afghanistan, the Taliban have detained numerous foreign nationals, including dual citizens. Recently, the group released two American citizens in exchange for the release of a Taliban member from a California prison. At least two other U.S. nationals, including an Afghanistani-American citizen, remain in Taliban custody.
