Afghanistan asks international community to investigate Taliban to prevent more atrocities

On Sunday, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan called on the international community, human rights agencies, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to strongly condemn reprehensible violence and crimes committed by the Taliban within Afghanistan and its continued links to international terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda. In a statement issued by the Afghan foreign ministry on July 25, the Afghan government sought global cooperation in preventing Taliban's organized atrocities, and “prosecution of the perpetrators [Talibani forces] to put an end to impunity in Afghanistan”. 

“Taliban forces perpetrate in areas under their control unpardonable and prosecutable crimes, including illegal arrests, arbitral killings, torturing civilians, forced marriages, and violation of basic human rights, particularly women’s rights,” the Afghanistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release on Sunday.

It added, that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the recent Human Rights Watch and other verified independent sources’ to document the Taliban’s violent crimes within the country. 

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, on July 25, reiterated the Taliban’s non-compliance to their international commitments and the Doha Peace Agreement, stressing the need to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Human Rights Council. Afghan government further asked the global key players to dispatch a fact-finding delegation to assess and follow up on the Taliban’s violations and crimes against humanity. 

Al-Qaeda protected by Taliban

Afghan government claimed that Al-Qaeda has been reported to be under the Taliban protection in at least nine provinces in eastern, southern, and southeastern Afghanistan, as well as in the Indian subcontinent's Kandahar, Helmand, and Nimroz. The ministry cited the United Nations Security Council’s report that has endorsed the Taliban's continued links to an international terrorist group. “Al-Qaeda is active in the Taliban-held areas of the provinces,” the Afghan government stated, adding that Taliban groups have joined forces with Islamic Jihadi groups, including Central Asian terrorist groups, in recent attacks in northern Afghanistan. The East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which is linked to al-Qaeda and is fighting the Chinese government, is active in Badakhshan province. 

“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has always insisted on Taliban maintaining ties with regional and international terrorist groups,” said the Afghanistan ministry of foreign affairs.

It continued, “The Government of Afghanistan appreciates the documentary report of the United Nations Security Council on the continuation of the Taliban's ties with regional and international terrorist groups in Afghanistan, and the activities of these terrorist groups under the auspices of the Taliban in the region and the world.” 

Afghan government insisted that the world must send an investigation team to probe into the crimes against humanity and violations committed by the Taliban.