Report decries ‘war crimes’ during fall of Afghanistan

Rights group Amnesty International held the Taliban, the United States military and Afghan security forces responsible for attacks that caused large-scale civilian suffering before the fall of the government in Kabul in August this year.

In a new report released on Wednesday, Amnesty International alleged the Taliban committed “war crimes” during the collapse of the internationally backed Afghan government to the Taliban.

The report chronicles torture, extrajudicial executions and killing by Taliban during the last phase of the conflict in Afghanistan.

It also documents civilian casualties during ground and air offensives by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) and US military forces.

“The months before the government collapse in Kabul were marked by repeated war crimes and relentless bloodshed committed by the Taliban, as well as deaths caused by Afghan and US forces,” Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general, said in a statement. “Homes, hospitals, schools and shops were turned into crime scenes as people were repeatedly killed and injured.”

Callamard called for access to justice and reparations for the victims.

Taliban killings ‘constitute war crimes’

The report, entitled “No Escape: War Crimes and Civilian Harm During The Fall Of Afghanistan To The Taliban,” reported that the Taliban had tortured and killed ethnic and religious minorities, former Afghan soldiers and suspected government sympathizers as they gained control of Afghanistan in the months of July and August.

It details an account from September 6, 2021, when the Taliban forces attacked Bazark, a town in the Panjshir province.

Following a brief battle, nearly 20 men were captured by Taliban fighters. The prisoners were detained for two days and were at times jailed in a pigeon coop, the report said.

They were also tortured; denied food, water and medical aid; and repeatedly threatened with execution, the report added.

In one instance, at least six civilians were executed in a village in Panjshir. They were killed by gunshots to the head, chest or heart.

“Such killings constitute war crimes,” the report said.