‘Executions’ in areas under Taliban control
THE UN human rights chief has warned that she has credible reports of ‘summary executions’ and restrictions on women in areas under Taliban control in Afghanistan – fuelling fears of what their rule might hold a week before US forces are set to withdraw.
Michelle Bachelet urged the Human Rights Council to take ‘bold and vigorous action’ to monitor the rights situation in Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover, as she sought to ensure that international attention on the country does not wane.
Her warning came as a US official said the director of the CIA met with the Taliban’s top political leader in Kabul amid the ongoing effort to evacuate people fleeing Afghanistan.
William Burns’ visit on Monday came ahead of a planned meeting among leaders from the G7 nations about the crisis in Afghanistan. He travelled to Kabul to meet Abdul Ghani Baradar.
However, a Taliban spokesman dashed hopes that an American-led evacuation could continue beyond an August 31 deadline to allow more time for Western powers to get their citizens and vulnerable Afghans out of the country.
The spokesman said his group will accept ‘no extensions’ to the deadline.
Taliban leaders have promised to restore security and tried to project an image of moderation, but many Afghans are sceptical and are racing to the leave the country, leading to chaos at Kabul’s international airport.
Amid scattered reports, it has been difficult to determine how widespread abuses might be and whether they reflect that Taliban leaders are saying one thing and doing another, or if fighters on the ground are taking matters into their own hands. Leaders from the G7 nations will discuss the burgeoning refugee crisis and the collapse of the Afghan government amid wrangling over whether the full US withdrawal of troops could be extended beyond the end of the month to allow more time to evacuate those desperate to leave.
US administration officials have refused to be pinned down about whether an extension is likely or even possible given that a Taliban spokesman had earlier warned that August 31 is a ‘red line’ and that extending the American presence would ‘provoke a reaction.’
In the meantime, tragic scenes at the airport have transfixed the world.
Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week and some clung to a US military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths.
At least seven people died that day, and another seven died on Sunday in a panicked stampede.
An Afghan solider was killed on Monday in a gunfight.