A new investigation by Amnesty International has revealed that Taliban forces unlawfully killed 13 ethnic Hazaras, including a 17-year-old girl, in Afghanistan’s Daykundi province after former security forces of the former government surrendered. On August 30, killings were reported in Kahor village of Khidir district. Two of the victims were civilians, and 11 of them were members of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF).
In a testimony gathered by Amnesty International, nine members of the ANDSF were extrajudicially executed after surrendering. Amnesty International has deemed these killings as war crimes. The Taliban shot at a crowd of civilians as they fled, killing two civilians. One of the victims was a 17-year-old girl. Photographs and video was taken by Amnesty International shortly after the killings have been verified, and the location of the scene of the horrific act has been pinpointed.
Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary-General, said that such cold-blooded executions underline the Taliban’s ongoing commitment to the same abuses they were notorious for under their previous rule in Afghanistan. According to the Taliban, these killings of former government officials contradict their claim that they are not directly targeting former employees. The Taliban must cease these brutal acts of revenge, and ensure former government officials and their families can live in peace in Afghanistan. In order to be true to its promises, the new government is expected to announce that such grave violations will not be tolerated.
It has been difficult to verify human rights abuses committed by the Taliban since they took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, since they have cut mobile phone service in many regions. After Taliban fighters took control of Ghazni province after the fall of Kabul, Amnesty International documented how nine ethnic Hazara men were massacred. The Taliban seized Daykundi province on August 14. 34 former members of the ANDSF reportedly sought refuge in the Khidir district, where they brought military equipment and weapons. The Taliban then gained control over large swathes of the region, and they consented to surrender.
Mohammed Azim Sedaqat, who led the surrender, arranged to decommission the weapons in front of the Taliban. On August 29, the men agreed to fully surrender to the Taliban. Taliban fighters with families arrived in convoy at Dahani Qul village on August 30. About 300 Taliban fighters are believed to have arrived in the area. One vehicle remained stuck close to Kahor village as the ANDSF members attempted to leave the area with their families. Taliban fighters who caught up with them opened fire on the crowd, killing the girl, known as Masuma, 17 years old. In return, an ANDSF member shot at the Taliban fighters, killing one and wounding the other.
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As the families fled, the Taliban continued to fire, killing two members of the ANDSF who were caught in the crossfire. They were then immediately executed in a nearby river basin after nine more ANDSF members surrendered. On August 31, the day after the killings, the villagers took the bodies to Dahani Qul, where they were buried in family plots. Two of the graves were located and identified by Amnesty International after reviewing and verifying information.
Within three days, the Taliban told the remaining families that anyone who fled should return and surrender. Amnesty International interviewed Taliban officials who said: ‘I have killed people for the past 20 years, so killing is easy for me. I can kill again’. Sadiqullah Abed, the Taliban’s appointed chief of police for Daykundi province, denied that any killings had taken place and instead confirmed that a member of the Taliban had been wounded in an attack.
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