Family of 16 ‘hides in bathroom’ as Taliban fear looms large in Afghanistan

The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan has left many Afghans fearing for their lives. A report by news agency Reuters details instances of the Taliban carrying out violence against people it considers enemies to its cause. A family of 16 hid in the bathroom of their apartment in capital city Kabul when the Taliban came knocking because they did not want to take any risks.

Taliban’s assurances on women’s rights and general amnesty after seizing control of Kabul have done little to assuage concerns as people are wary of the group’s brutal enforcement of their version of Islamic law during their last regime and the spate of targetted killings carried out over the past year.

Social media has been flooded with cellphone videos of purported Taliban men searching houses or beating people in the street.

Thousands of Afghans have been trying to flee the country since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul on August 15, with stampedes and firing in and around the Kabul airport claiming over a dozen lives.

“There is no trust,” Reuters quoted a government official as saying. A former official said he has gone into hiding after the Taliban showed up to question him and took away his car.

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Norwegian intelligence has shared a report with the United Nations on Taliban rounding up military, police and intelligence officials.

The murder of nine ethnic Hazara men after Taliban took control of Ghazni province last month has raised fears of the Taliban targetting minority groups.

Deutsche Welle said the Taliban had shot dead a family member of one of its journalists and severely injured another. The homes of three other journalists working for the German public broadcaster had also been raided.

Many women are worried about the Taliban keeping a tab on their activities on social media and messaging platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp, according to a rights activist.