Taliban Detains Two UN Staff in Afghanistan

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have detained two Afghan members of the U.N. political mission in the country, the United Nations said Wednesday. The Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence detained the two staffers in the western city of Herat on Sunday, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters. He said the U.N. mission has not been informed of any charges against the two men and has not been allowed to visit them. The mission has called on the Taliban “to ensure compliance with the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and its officials,” Haq said. The Taliban seized power on Aug. 15, 2021, as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew after two decades of war. Shortly after, it barred girls from secondary schools and later extended restrictions to higher education and employment, effectively excluding women and girls from public life. The U.N. mission’s mandate from the Security Council includes promoting humanitarian assistance, human rights, equality for women and girls, inclusive governance, and economic stability. The detentions come as a humanitarian crisis in the poverty-stricken nation worsens and as Taliban forces are engaged in cross-border fighting with Pakistani forces. Clashes escalated sharply in February when Afghan forces launched a raid into Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Islamabad later declared it was in “open war.” Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the detentions “seriously threaten the U.N.’s work throughout Afghanistan and its ability to deliver lifesaving aid.” She added that Taliban authorities should immediately release those held and ensure all aid agencies can work without intimidation or interference.