The Haunting Return: Taliban's Reign Of Terror In Afghanistan

The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan has led to a wave of killings, human rights abuses, and restrictions on civil liberties, particularly impacting women, girls, and ethnic and religious minorities. The Taliban has been accused of extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary detentions, with civilians facing attacks and collective punishments despite the reduction in conflict-related violence following their takeover. The group has imposed restrictions on women's rights, limiting their access to education, employment, and freedom of movement, and has targeted ethnic and religious minorities for persecution, forced evictions, and marginalization. The Taliban has also restricted freedom of expression and assembly, with journalists, human rights defenders, and protesters facing violence, intimidation, and arbitrary arrests. These actions have led to widespread fear and chaos, with thousands attempting to flee the country.

The Taliban's killing of Afghan comic Nazar Mohammad

The Taliban's killing of Nazar Mohammad, a popular Afghan comedian, has sent shockwaves across the world and raised fears of revenge attacks as the armed group makes rapid advances across Afghanistan.

Mohammad, better known by his stage name Khasha Zwan, was known for his crude jokes, funny songs, and videos of himself posted on TikTok. He was abducted from his home in the southern province of Kandahar and shot multiple times. A video of his abduction and abuse at the hands of two gunmen, who slapped him and forced him into the back of a car, went viral on social media. Despite the abuse, Mohammad continued to crack jokes about the insurgent group.

The Taliban has admitted to the killing and acknowledged that the two men in the video were indeed Taliban members. The group's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the men have been arrested and will be tried in a Taliban court. He also alleged that Mohammad was a member of the Afghan National Police and had been implicated in the torture and killing of Taliban members. Mujahid stated that the group should have arrested Mohammad and brought him before their court instead of killing him.

The brutality of the killing heightened fears of revenge attacks and undermined the Taliban's assurances that no harm would come to those who worked for the government or with US organisations. It also sparked outrage across Afghanistan, with artists and activists condemning the murder as a deliberate assault on free expression. Afghan Second Vice President Sarwar Danish described the killing as "a slap on the face of all Afghan people and an insult to humanity and human dignity."

The killing of Mohammad comes amid a surge in fighting as Taliban forces seize territory across Afghanistan, capturing districts, seizing border crossings, and encircling provincial capitals. The group's rapid advances have raised concerns about the future of the country and the safety of its people, especially those who worked with US and NATO forces.

Targeted killings of ethnic minorities

The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan has resulted in a wave of human rights violations, with ethnic and religious minorities being targeted and systematically persecuted. The Hazara community, Afghanistan's third-largest ethnic group, has been particularly affected by the Taliban's brutality.

In July 2021, Amnesty International reported that nine Hazara men were killed by the Taliban in the village of Mundarakht, Ghazni province. Six of the men were shot, and three were tortured to death. One man was strangled with his own scarf, and his arm muscles were sliced off. Another's body was shot to pieces. This incident is likely just a fraction of the total death toll inflicted by the Taliban, as they have cut off mobile phone services in many areas, preventing information from being shared.

In June 2022, the Taliban killed six Hazara people in Ghor province during a night raid targeting a former security official. Four men were unlawfully executed, and a woman and a 12-year-old girl were also killed. The bodies of those executed showed signs of torture.

The Taliban have a history of persecuting the Hazara people, who are predominantly Shia Muslims in a predominantly Sunni country. During their previous rule, the Taliban were known for depriving women and ethnic minorities of their rights. The recent killings indicate that the Taliban have not changed and continue to target and persecute ethnic and religious minorities.

In addition to the Hazaras, other ethnic and religious minorities in Afghanistan, such as Shias, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, and Ahmadiyyas, continue to face marginalization, prejudice, discrimination, and forced evictions. There have also been reports of targeted killings of religious scholars, government officials, journalists, and human rights defenders.

The United Nations and human rights organizations have expressed grave concern over the situation, calling for the protection of vulnerable groups and accountability for the Taliban's actions. Despite the Taliban's promises of restraint and respect for human rights, their actions on the ground tell a different story.

Killing of a relative of an Afghan journalist

Journalists and their families are in grave danger in Afghanistan. The Taliban have been accused of killing a relative of an Afghan journalist working for the German news outlet Deutsche Welle (DW). The journalist, who is now safe in Germany, has not been named, but DW's director general, Peter Limbourg, confirmed the incident and called on the German government to step up efforts to bring collaborators to safety.

Taliban fighters hunting the journalist shot dead one member of his family and seriously injured another. The Taliban were conducting a house-to-house search to find the journalist, who had already relocated to Germany. Other relatives were able to escape at the last moment and are now on the run.

Limbourg said:

> The killing of a close relative of one of our editors by the Taliban yesterday is inconceivably tragic, and testifies to the acute danger in which all our employees and their families in Afghanistan find themselves. It is evident that the Taliban are already carrying out organized searches for journalists, both in Kabul and in the provinces. We are running out of time!

The Taliban have also been accused of raiding the homes of at least three DW journalists. In addition, reports of other journalists being shot dead or kidnapped have surfaced.

The Taliban leadership had promised amnesty to those who worked with Westerners during the 20-year American-led war. "Let me remind you that we forgive everyone, because it is in the interest of peace and stability in Afghanistan, "Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. "All the groups that were confronting us are all forgiven."

However, the ruthlessness of Taliban fighters—despite their leadership's promises to the contrary—has sent many previous collaborators underground and prompted nongovernmental organizations and other groups to plead to their countries for help.

Killing of protesters

The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan has been marked by violent suppression of protests and a climate of fear. In Jalalabad, a city in the east of the country, the Taliban killed at least three protesters who were attempting to replace the Taliban flag with the Afghan national flag. This was one of the first protests since the Taliban took control of the country, and hundreds, if not thousands, of locals took to the streets in a stunning expression of defiance.

Taliban enforcers started firing into the air, with some shots aimed at the crowds, and also attacked people with batons. A military-style vehicle was seen racing dangerously through the crowds. At least three people were killed and more than a dozen injured, according to two witnesses and a former police official.

Babrak Amirzada, a reporter for a local news agency, said he and a TV cameraman from another agency were beaten by Taliban fighters as they tried to cover the unrest. Video footage later showed the Taliban firing into the air and attacking people with batons to disperse the crowd.

The killings in Jalalabad are evidence that the Taliban cannot be trusted to keep their promise that there would be a "huge difference" between their rule now and the brutality they enforced 20 years ago. Despite the Taliban's claims that they do not plan to be violent while in power, there is widespread distrust of the group.

The violent response to the protests in Jalalabad has only fuelled fears among Afghans, and thousands are racing to the airport and borders to flee the country. Many others are hiding inside their homes, fearful after prisons and armouries were emptied during the insurgents' blitz across the country.

Killing of women

Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, women and girls have faced increasing restrictions on their rights, with the Taliban violating their human rights to education, work, and free movement. The Taliban have also contributed to a surge in child, early, and forced marriages, as well as gender-based violence and femicide.

The Taliban have enforced strict guidelines on women's clothing, requiring them to cover themselves from head to toe and wear the burqa, which completely shrouds the body. Women who disobey these rules face beatings, public flogging, and even death. In one instance, a woman was brutally beaten with a metal cable until her leg was broken because her ankle was accidentally showing underneath her burqa. In another case, a woman was killed in front of her family and friends for defying Taliban orders by running a home school for girls.

The Taliban have also banned women from appearing in public or travelling long distances without a male chaperone. This restriction has made it difficult for women to access education and work, as well as limiting their freedom of movement. The Taliban have further prevented women from working outside the home, including jobs with the UN, and have banned them from participating in sports activities or visiting public parks. These restrictions have had a devastating impact on women-owned businesses, with beauty salons being forcibly closed, affecting around 60,000 businesses according to UN reports.

The Taliban's policies have also had severe consequences for women's health and well-being. The institutional framework of support for survivors of gender-based violence has been dissolved, leaving survivors dependent on Sharia law and at risk of further abuse. Additionally, women and girls have died of curable ailments because male doctors were not allowed to treat them, and female doctors and nurses were prohibited from working.

The Taliban's restrictions and abuses against women have been condemned by international organizations and human rights groups, with Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists finding that these actions may amount to the crime against humanity of gender persecution. Despite these condemnations, the Taliban continue to enforce their repressive policies, erasing women and girls from public life in Afghanistan.

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