The Taliban
are going door-to-door searching for people who worked with the previous
government or NATO forces, according to a confidential United Nations document
accessed by AFP. The document warns that the Taliban have stepped up their search
efforts and created “priority lists” of individuals they seek to arrest.
The UN
report comes days after the hardline Islamist group now in control of Afghanistan
said that there would be no revenge and that “everyone is forgiven”. The
Taliban also granted general amnesty to all government workers and asked them
to get back to work.
Also Read | Terrorism like COVID, do not be complacent: Jaishankar warns UN Council
While the
Taliban claim that they have significantly changed their stance since they were
in power the last time from 1996 to 2001 and have pledged to grant rights to
women and allow freedom of press, reports like the aforementioned UN document
has made the international community wonder whether the group has actually
changed the way it claims.
The warning
that the Taliban were targeting “collaborators” was in a confidential document
released by the RHIPTO Norwegian Center for Global Analyses that provides intelligence
to the United Nations, according to the BBC.
Also Read | Afghanistan: Children tossed over razor wire as Afghans try to flee Taliban rule
Christian
Nellman, the head of the organisation, told BBC that a “high number” of individuals
are being targeted currently and the threat is “crystal clear”. “It is in
writing that, unless they give themselves in, the Taliban will arrest and prosecute,
interrogate and punish family members on behalf of those individuals,” Nellman
said.
Also Read | Did Trump’s peace deal with Taliban compel Biden to withdraw from Afghanistan?
Meanwhile,
countries across the world are continuing their efforts to evacuate their
nationals from Afghanistan. According to a NATO official, more than 18,000
people have been evacuated from Kabul airport over the last five days and 6,000
more, including interpreters and foreign armed forces, were supposed to be
flown out by Thursday night.