Reports coming in from Afghanistan state that the Taliban is carrying out a door-to-door manhunt for people who worked for the United States, its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and for the previous Afghan government.
This report adds to the growing evidence that the Islamic fundamentalist group is growing increasingly more repressive. (Related: CNN tries once again to convince viewers not to believe their eyes – as correspondent downplays Afghans chanting 'Death to America!' behind her.)
The evidence of the systematic manhunt of former Afghan employees and Western collaborators comes from the RHIPTO Norwegian Center for Global Analyses. RHIPTO is a nonprofit that provides intelligence and other forms of analytical support to the United Nations.
"They have lists of individuals and even within the very first hours of moving into Kabul, they began a search of former government employees – especially in intelligence services and the special forces units," said Christian Nellemann, director of RHIPTO.
RHIPTO's assessment report of the situation in Afghanistan was submitted to the U.N. It strongly suggests that the Taliban has a blacklist of people it wants to round up in Kabul, the Afghan capital, as well as in other major cities like Jalalabad and Herat.
"Taliban are intensifying the hunt-down of all individuals and collaborators with the former regime, and if unsuccessful, target and arrest the families and punish them according to their own interpretation of Sharia law," read RHIPTO's report. "Particularly at risk are individuals in central positions in military, police and investigative units."
In addition to conducting a door-to-door sweep of Kabul and other major cities, RHIPTO's threat assessment also strongly suggests that the Taliban is screening people at checkpoints all over Kabul. These checkpoints are preventing people from entering the Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul's only airport. This airport is currently being operated by NATO forces.
The rounding up of U.S. and NATO collaborators and former members and employees of the Afghan government and its security forces could lead to mass executions. It could also uncover the vast intelligence networks the U.S. and its allies established in Afghanistan.
"So this could undermine a number of our Western intelligence services," said Nellermann. He added that it is likely that those targeted by the Taliban will be tortured and possibly even executed.
"This will further jeopardize western intelligence services, their networks, methods and ability to counter both the Taliban, ISIS and other terrorist threats ahead."
Taliban claimed to grant "general amnesty" for all Afghans
The reports of the Taliban's organized manhunt for former collaborators of the U.S. and other forces cast doubt on the Islamic fundamentalist group's previous claim that it has granted a "general amnesty" in the wake of its takeover.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan with full dignity and honesty has announced a complete amnesty for all Afghanistan, especially those who were with the opposition or supported the occupiers for years and recently," said Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission, on Afghan state television.
Later that day, during a press conference, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement reassuring the international community that any Afghan that worked for the previous government or for the U.S. and other international forces will be treated fairly.
"We will pardon all those who became masters against jihad, this special pardon is because we do not want war again, and to let war be repeated and the elements of the war remain," said Mujahid. "We are assuring the safety of all those who have worked with the United States and allied forces, whether as interpreters or any other field that they worked with them."
Despite the evidence proving their assurances false, the Taliban have continued calling on all Afghans to come together and unite under the new regime. The Islamic fundamentalist group has even called on imams – worship leaders in mosques – to persuade people to stay in Afghanistan.
Learn more about the fall of Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the country by reading the latest articles at Collapse.news.
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