Afghanistan: UN denounces threats, looting and abuses against its personnel in Kabul

Threats, arrests, beatings, abuse and looting. A report reserved prepared by The United Nations reported a series of offenses perpetrated by Taliban against their personnel in Kabul.

The last of the episodes involved a member from the UN office stopped when i tried arrive at the airport from the capital on Sunday. According to the complaint, the militiamen searched his vehicle and found his ID. Then they hit him.

Meanwhile, Monday, three men visited another member’s home of the multilateral body that was working at the time. They asked their son where he was his father and they accused him of lying: “We know its location and what it is doing,” they warned.

All of these incidents are among dozens recorded in an internal UN security document, to which he had access. Reuters.

The report describes veiled threats, the looting of offices and the physical abuse suffered by staff since August 10, shortly before the Taliban came to power.

While the Islamist militia movement tried to assure Afghans and Western powers that they would respect the rights of the people, the reports of retaliation have undermined trust, especially among foreign organizations.

The Taliban did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the UN incident list requested by Reuters.

What the UN said

“The authorities in charge in Kabul are responsible for the security of UN personnel and facilities. We remain in contact with them in this sense ”, declared the United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

United Nations now relocated about a third of the 300 employees in Kazakhstan foreigners he had in Afghanistan. He also announced that he wanted to maintain a stable presence in the country to help the Afghan people.

It is estimated that there are still about 3000 Afghan UN staff in the country.

A UN spokesperson said the agency was in contact with other countries to urge them to provide visas or support the temporary relocation of some of their staff.

Thousands of people have fled Afghanistan since the Taliban entered Kabul on August 15, fearing they would reinstall a brutal regime like the one that held power between 1996 and 2001 with strict application of Islamic law.

The complaint of an Afghan employee

An Afghan woman who worked for the United Nations for several years said Reuters that she felt abandoned.

“All the women I know have the same fear as me. What will happen to our children now if we are punished for our work? What will happen to our families? What are they going to do to us as women? ”She said on condition of anonymity.