Taliban have not stopped targeted killings of former Afghan servicemen

A joint six-month investigation by The Independent (UK), Hasht-e Subh, Etilaat Roz, Lighthouse Reports and Military Times documents that, in the past two years, at least 110 former members of Afghanistan’s armed forces have been killed by the Taliban. The findings indicate that the Taliban have not honored their repeated promises of a general amnesty and that systematic killings, arrests, torture and revenge murders of former security personnel continue.

Victims include ex-army and national police members—particularly special forces and those who cooperated with foreign forces—who remain targeted for detention, torture and extrajudicial killing. The killings have been concentrated in Kabul, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Balkh and Helmand provinces. Journalists and investigators warn the real number is likely much higher because a climate of fear prevents full documentation.

The report records dozens of murders and torture cases, including detailed accounts of the deaths of six individuals and torture of two special forces members who had taken part in joint operations with U.S. forces. Notable victims include Ali-gul Haidari, a former special forces commander who was imprisoned and tortured after the republic’s fall and later killed by Taliban fighters in front of his family when they besieged his home. Publisher Sanjar Sohail of Hasht-e Subh said returning former servicemen from neighboring countries “disappear immediately or their bodies are found outside towns or villages a few days later,” calling the violence an ongoing process.

The investigation also reports incidents such as Taliban forces in Laghman detaining two former soldiers who had just returned from Iran.

In response to the findings, U.S. Congressman Mike Lawler said the United States has responsibilities to its Afghan allies and that leaving these killings unaddressed “would be a stain on America’s moral conscience.”