US, EU and 20 nations condemn Taliban over “summary killings” | News

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The countries have denounced the killings and disappearances of former members of the Afghan security forces.
The United States, the European Union and 20 other countries have condemned the Taliban for alleged killings of Afghan police and former intelligence officials.
The statement on Saturday came after Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report documenting the killing or disappearance of at least 47 members of the Afghan National Security Forces.
The countries said they were “deeply concerned” about the allegations and stressed that “the alleged actions are a serious violation of human rights and contradict the amnesty announced by the Taliban” for former Afghan officials.
They called on the Taliban to “effectively enforce the amnesty of former members of the Afghan security forces and former government officials throughout the country and to ensure that they remain at their level,” and called for a swift and transparent investigation into the alleged killings.
Countries include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and Ukraine.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August after the fall of the US-backed government in Kabul. American troops leaving the country.
The armed group has vowed to gain international recognition, and its rule is different from the previous government in the 1990s, which included public stoning, amputation of the limbs of suspected criminals and a ban on women’s education.
But the new government has continued to impose heavy punishments, and the United Nations has expressed concern that the Taliban have retaliated against the killings in retaliation for “credible allegations.”
In the same report, HRW said Taliban leaders had ordered surrendering security forces to register with the authorities, review links with certain military units or special forces, and receive a letter guaranteeing their security.
“However, the Taliban have used these projections to arrest and execute people or forcibly disappear them within a few days of registering and letting their bodies be found by relatives or communities,” HRW said.
The group said its research indicates that more than 100 former members of Afghan security forces in the Ghazni, Helmand, Kunduz and Kandahar provinces have been killed or forcibly killed.
He also said that the Taliban had set up a commission to investigate reports of human rights violations, corruption, robbery and other crimes, but said that the commission had not reported any investigation into the alleged killings.
“It seems that the Taliban will act to prevent abuses and to hold them accountable for their ill-treatment, which has so far been nothing more than a public relations mistake,” he said.
The Taliban have repeatedly denied punishment for attacks on former members of the security forces, and in late November said they had formed a commission to remove “bad people” from their groups.
In an audio recording, Taliban Deputy Chief of Staff Sirajuddin Haqqani and the Afghan Interior Minister called on “our brothers to cooperate with the commission and not to protect or not protect people based on their personal friendship.”
No country has yet formally recognized the Taliban government, while billions of dollars in foreign assets and funds have been frozen abroad, despite the country’s severe economic and humanitarian crisis.
U.S. officials held talks with Qatari Taliban officials earlier this week, expressing deep concern about human rights violations, and called on the group to provide access to education for women and girls at all levels across the country.
Shortly afterwards, on Friday, the Taliban released a decree on women’s rights saying that women should not be considered “property” and forced to marry.
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