UN raises alarm over 'extrajudicial killings' in Afghanistan

GENEVA

A top UN human rights official on Tuesday raised alarm over “credible allegations” of extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover earlier this year.

“Between August and November, we received credible allegations of more than 100 killings of former Afghan national security forces and others associated with the former government, with at least 72 of these killings attributed to the Taliban,” said Nada Al-Nashif, the UN deputy high commissioner for human rights.

That was after the Taliban had declared a general amnesty in Afghanistan after taking over the capital Kabul on Aug. 15.

The statement comes days after the New York-based Human Rights Watch said Taliban forces have carried out revenge attacks since seizing control of the war-torn country.

In response to the report, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a spokesperson of the Taliban administration, had said they are "fully committed" to implementing the amnesty. According to him, the incidents will be investigated, and officials violating the order will be "prosecuted and penalized."

Al-Nashif also briefed the UN rights office on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, saying "economic life is largely paralyzed with the collapse of the banking system and a severe liquidity crisis."

She said the Taliban takeover “brought an uneasy end to fighting against governmental forces in the country, but the current situation leaves the population with little protection in terms of human rights.”

Women and girls face great uncertainty with respect to the rights to education, to livelihoods and to participation, she added.

The UN official said the decree on women's rights issued by the interim government on Dec. 3 “represents an important signal but leaves many questions unanswered.”

“For instance, it does not make clear a minimum age for marriage, nor refer to any wider women and girls' rights to education, to work, to freedom of movement, or to participate in public life.”

The Taliban have barred forced marriage in Afghanistan, saying women should not be considered “property” and must consent to marriage.​​​​​​​