Afghanistan‘s Taliban leadership on Sunday rejected sharp criticism from the U.S. and a host of Western allies that the regime has embarked on a campaign of targeted killings of security officials linked to the ousted U.S.-backed government in Kabul.
The State Department, in a coordinated message with nearly two dozen European and Asian allies and the European Union, on Saturday condemned reports that the Taliban government has killed or detained without trial more than 100 former police and intelligence officers in the four months since taking control of the country in a lightning offensive this summer.
The retaliation campaign came despite pledges from the Islamist movement’s leaders of a general amnesty for members of the fallen government. Taliban leaders have cited the amnesty as a key reason to lift U.S. and Western economic sanctions and work with the new government as its struggles with deep economic and humanitarian crises as the winter months approach.
<!– Temp removal of in article reco
End comment –>
Despite some links, Western powers have yet to engage fully with the Taliban. The State Department statement Saturday evening suggested that concessions such as diplomatic recognition remain far down the line.
The alleged actions “constitute serious human rights abuses and contradict the Taliban’s announced amnesty,” the joint statement read. “We call on the Taliban to effectively enforce the amnesty for former members of the Afghan security forces and former government officials to ensure that it is upheld across the country and throughout their ranks.”
“We will continue to measure the Taliban by their actions,” the 22 nations said.
The watchdog group Human Rights Watch late last month issued a report detailing what it said was a systematic reprisal campaign. The Nov. 30 report said many members of the former government had been lured out into the open by promises by the Taliban leadership that each applicant would be screened and given a letter guaranteeing their safety.
“However, the Taliban have used these screenings to detain and summarily execute or forcibly disappear individuals within days of their registration, leaving their bodies for their relatives or communities to find,” Human Rights Watch researchers wrote.
The watchdog group said its findings were based on personal interviews and phone calls with nearly 70 witnesses in four Afghan provinces.
But a top Taliban official on Sunday rejected the charges, and said the regime had been presented with no evidence of unjust reprisals.
“We have had some individual cases of killings of ex-government members, but these were due to private enmity and we’ve arrested those involved,” Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Sayed Khosti said in a video statement, according to the Reuters news agency. “This is slander against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, not justice.”
A interagency team of Biden administration diplomatic, aid and security officials met with Taliban representatives in Doha last week, but the U.S. and other Western governments have conditioned diplomatic recognition on a sign the new government respects civil liberties, women’s and minority rights, and avoids widespread revenge attacks on Afghans linked to the previous government.