Days after it seized the reigns of Afghanistan from the United States-backed Afghan government, militant organisation Taliban is conducting a door-to-door search for its opponents – US and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officials.
The insurgents have carried out "targeted door-to-door visits" of persons who worked with the US and NATO forces, a confidential United Nations (UN) document has indicated, news agency AFP reported.
In addition, persons attempting to leave the country through the Kabul airport are also being screened.
The conduction of the reported search mission confirms the widespread fears that the Taliban would renege on its recently-announced promise of general amnesty and security for all.
"They are targeting the families of those who refuse to give themselves up, and prosecuting and punishing their families 'according to Sharia law,'" Christian Nellemann, executive director of RHIPTO Norwegian Center for Global Analyses, which provided the intelligence report to the UN, told AFP.
Nellemann further stated that persons previously serving the NATO or the US forces were expected to be "exposed to torture and executions."
Taliban's Promise of Safety
The Taliban, which had imposed a hardline Islamist rule in Afghanistan from 1996-2001, had returned to power on Sunday, 15 August.
As it took the reigns of the nation, the militant organisation, in an attempt to dispel the fears of a rule of terror and orthodoxy, had promised security for all. Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission, on Tuesday, had declared a 'general amnesty' for government workers.
The Taliban had also sought to assure people that they will not take revenge against those who supported the US-backed alliance.
The Taliban does not have enmity towards anyone, and based on its leader's orders, it have pardoned everyone, the group's spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told the media in Kabul on Tuesday.
Pointing out that they will reach a settlement soon through which an Islamic government will be established in Afghanistan, Mujahid was quoted as saying by TOLONews, "We want to establish a government that includes all sides."
(With inputs from AFP and TOLONews.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)