AFGHAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE ARRESTS 15 TALIBAN ASSASSINS
▶ Human rights group finds that more than 500 people died in attacks in the first half of the year
Fifteen Taliban members accused of carrying out assassinations in Afghanistan were arrested by the country’s intelligence agency.
The National Directorate of Security said the men, who were detained on Tuesday, had been ordered to attack members of the security forces and prominent political figures.
“Members of this group would operate in teams of four or five and track movements of targets who are prominent political figures in Afghanistan before carrying out their attacks,” a representative of the agency said.
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said 533 civilians were killed and 412 wounded in attacks carried out in the first half of the year.
Among them were two of the commission’s employees, donor co-ordinator Fatima Khalil, 24, and driver Ahmad Folad, 41, who were killed in a bombing in Kabul in June.
The Afghan Ministry of Interior said at least 70 civilians were killed and more than 140 wounded in the second half of last month.
“Although they haven’t claimed it, the Taliban are killing civilians, including children and women, every day, in planned attacks on government employees,” Tariq Arian, a spokesman for the ministry, told The National.
He said the sharp increase in assassinations was probably an attempt by the Taliban to put pressure on the government during peace negotiations.
Negotiators for the Afghan government are in Doha for talks with the Taliban in an effort to bring an end to two decades of conflict.
In February, the Taliban reached an agreement with the US that requires all foreign forces to withdraw from Afghanistan.
Afghan politician Fawzia Koofi, one of only four women participating in the negotiations with the Taliban, survived an assassination attempt in August, when she was shot in the arm while travelling near Kabul.
Despite assurances in the deal with Washington, the Taliban have not reduced the levels of violence in the country, with critics of the insurgents among the targets of attacks.
One of them was Zarifa Ghafari, 28, mayor of Maidan Shar, the capital of Maidan Wardak province, about 45 kilometres south-west of Kabul.
Ms Ghafari, who often speaks at international forums, survived an assassination attempt by gunmen last Sunday while she was travelling between the Afghan capital and Maidan Wardak province.
It was the second time she was attacked this year, with gunmen opening fire on her car in March.
“I believe they target me for many reasons, but mostly because I am a woman who broke their [patriarchal] steel wall to become an empowered woman leader,” Ms Ghafari told The National.
“They also want to show that the Afghan government is weak and if they can kill a government official like a mayor, then they can show themselves as the stronger party and use it to leverage the talks.”
The arrests of Taliban members this week may reduce the violence to some extent, but officials at the Ministry of Interior said there could be as many as 100 Taliban assassins with orders to kill opponents of the insurgents during the peace negotiations.
Ms Ghafari called for the international community to help protect the rights of the Afghan women in the talks with the insurgents.
She said the sharp increase in the number of assassination attempts in Afghanistan was an attempt by the group “to silence democracy and dismiss the voices of people.”