Some tribal elders and residents of Panjshir, a province north of Kabul, said they face “unfair treatment” from the Taliban military personnel in the province who consider the residents as “an enemy.”
Their treatment towards the people in Panjshir hasn’t changed over the past 18 months of their rule in Afghanistan, a tribal elder from Onaba district explained, adding that the military members of the group roam the streets while carrying heavy weapons.
Panjshir has witnessed heavy fights between Taliban members and the resistance front over the past 18 months, especially last summer, that have led to the deaths of dozens on both sides.
A doctor from Panjshir, who requested to remain anonymous, said some patients who visit his clinic in the evenings say they are “harassed” by the Taliban.
“When it is my shift during nights, some patients whom we meet say they’re not allowed to visit the clinic after 9 pm and if they get the permission they are harassed by Taliban on the way to the health clinic,” said the doctor.
A teacher from Panjshir said on condition of anonymity that whenever the Taliban suffer casualties in resistance force attack, they arrest civilians and harass them.
Taliban has reportedly arrested dozens of civilians from Panjshir on charges of links with the resistance front over the past year. The group has rejected the reports.
A shepherd from Panjshir, who wished not to be named in this report, said he is often interrogated by the Taliban.
“The Taliban is counting my sheep every day to see if I wouldn’t have sold them to the resistance front,” said the resident.
A member of the Panjshir religious scholars’ council said they have shared the matter with Taliban officials but they have not seen any change in the Taliban’s treatment of the people.
A similar issue was raised by residents of Andarab valley in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan. They said the Taliban’s civilian local officials have also criticized the treatment of their military members with them.
An audio file leaked to the media last year indicated that Mir Agha, a Taliban intelligence officer in Panjshir, criticized the way Taliban members treated local residents, saying the authorities had violated their commitment.
Another Taliban official, Musawir Mansoori, who is district governor for Banu district in Baghlan, last month accused members of the group for mistreatment of locals and said the authorities of the group are “insufficient.”
Taliban officials in Panjshir did not comment on the allegations by the residents.
According to Amu findings from multiple sources, at least 66 civilians were killed in the Andrab valley in Baghlan and 172 civilians, including women and children, were killed in Panjshir by the Taliban in the first year of their rule in the country.
After reports about human rights violations by the Taliban in Panjshir, UN special rapporteur Richard Bennett visited Panjshir in October 2022. He expressed his concerns about the situation there after returning from the province where he held talks with Taliban officials.
