Investigation of the "continuation of killing and torture" of the former security forces of Afghanistan by the Taliban in the meeting of the Foreign Relations Committee of the US House

Investigation of the “continuation of killing and torture” of the former security forces of Afghanistan by the Taliban in the meeting of the Foreign Relations Committee of the US House

The Foreign Relations Committee of the US House of Representatives held a meeting on Wednesday (December 11) with the presence of some former American soldiers in Afghanistan to investigate the claims of “killing and torture” by the former security forces and former colleagues of the American forces in Afghanistan, in which Sanjar Sohail, The franchise owner of 8sobh newspaper also presented his testimony and the result of the investigative report of this newspaper, which he jointly conducted with the New York Times newspaper.

Mr. Sohail said that he testifies that the Taliban, despite their promises for “general amnesty” and the claims they make, have killed and tortured former members of the security forces and their families after the withdrawal of the American forces from this country.

He added that in the spring of 2022, the investigative report of 8sobah newspaper revealed how this killing and torture happened: “In this report, which covers only the first six months of the Taliban’s behavior, 490 cases of killing and torture of former Afghan soldiers and officers who worked with American forces and his allies had close cooperation, they have documented.

However, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesman, called the issues raised in this meeting “false claims” and rejected them.

In this meeting, Mr. Sohail also stated that even now, “despite serious risks”, the journalists of this newspaper are documenting “Taliban crimes”: “We have witnessed an increase in the systematic and targeted killing and torture of former soldiers and officers, as well as their family members. . “Hundreds of Afghan soldiers and officers and their family members, including women and even children, are tortured and some of them are killed in official and unofficial Taliban prisons.”
Also, Brian Mast, a member of the US House of Representatives, said in this meeting that former security forces are being killed on purpose in Afghanistan. He also accused the US government officials of “lying”. He called the reports of international organizations as proof of the “confirmation” of these killings.

Elizabeth Lane, a former US Navy officer who served in Afghanistan, also said: “Our colleagues pay the price of working with us with their blood.”

He said that his colleagues have registered more than 800 cases of alleged killing, torture and arrest of members of the former security forces of Afghanistan. Mrs. Lin emphasized that evacuation and issuance of humanitarian visas for these people have not been done and they are not eligible for “special immigration visas” either.
In this meeting, Michael Sismer, another former US Navy veteran, also emphasized that the Taliban is persecuting the ex-servicemen, and at the same time, considering their bad financial situation, “if they are not imprisoned or killed by the Taliban, they will be out of work.” And hunger threatens to die.”

He also mentioned “the execution of a female ex-soldier in the presence of her husband and the hanging of two members of the former National Security Agency of Afghanistan despite having a letter of amnesty from the Taliban” as examples.

Sanjar Sohail also added that the tragedy is not only for the security forces, but millions of civilian men and women are also in danger in the Taliban regime and live in fear.

This Afghan journalist emphasized that the sudden withdrawal of the United States broke the people’s trust in this country and created a vacuum that allowed the Taliban to take advantage of the vulnerability of those who served in the security forces and fought alongside the American forces.

He asked the United States to officially and publicly condemn the “killing of former Afghan soldiers and officers” and to support further investigations into the Taliban’s treatment of former security forces. He also said that efforts to promote stability, security and democratic government in Afghanistan should be supported.

The spokesperson of the Taliban, however, has emphasized that their government is committed to ensuring the security of all Afghan citizens based on the “general amnesty” decree. He added: “The general amnesty has been done and it is completely practical, so creating such concerns from a distance from America and confusing the minds means that either they do not have correct information about the situation in Afghanistan, or they are intentionally making Afghanistan unsafe.” show that both actions are not correct.

The American government had said that it would transfer its former colleagues in Afghanistan to America. But some former members of the US military have criticized their transfer process and called it slow and inefficient. Others have said that their requests to leave Afghanistan and move to America have been rejected.

In recent days, some media in Britain have also reported that the government of this country is considering giving residence visas to at least 400 former members of Afghanistan’s security agencies and transferring them to Britain.