Women, journalists and soldiers: Taliban men go from house to house, hunting down their rivals - Walla! news

2021-08-22T19:58:20.495Z

Many families across the country are hiding in their homes for fear of revenge by the extremist organization, despite its public statements. "Every time they see a car passing by on the road, they run to the bathroom," said an Afghan trying to get his family out of the country. Women are already erasing their existence from social networks

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The fall of Afghanistan

Women, journalists and soldiers: Taliban men go from house to house, hunting down their rivals

Many families across the country are hiding in their homes for fear of revenge by the extremist organization, despite its public statements.

"Every time they see a car passing by on the road, they run to the bathroom," said an Afghan trying to get his family out of the country.

Women are already erasing their existence from social networks

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Afghanistan
Kabul
Taliban

Reuters

Sunday, 22 August 2021, 15:17

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(Photo: AP)

As Taliban militants knocked on the door of their Kabul apartment, 16 family members crowded into the bathroom, turned off their lights and cell phones and covered the children's mouths to keep them quiet. They did not know what to expect, but did not want to take any risk. Two family members have been killed in recent years, and they have witnessed a wave of assassinations across Afghanistan in the past year. The ousted government has blamed the Taliban for the killings.

In Kabul alone, U.S. embassy data documented 152 targeted assassinations between December and July. The records did not attribute to anyone the responsibility for the assassinations, and the Taliban then denied involvement in them. "My family lives in fear. Every time they see a car passing by on the road, they run to the bathroom," said a family member, trying to get his relatives out of the country. He approached many countries to get them a visa. "Food is limited and prices are going up. My family's situation is terrible."

This situation, described by a family member living outside Afghanistan who refuses to be identified for fear of endangering his family, has been described in many homes across the country since city after city fell into his hands.

The Reuters news agency spoke with four families who are in hiding.

Activists, women, former government officials, journalists, ex-soldiers and former members of the intelligence services believe they have reason to fear for their lives, despite Taliban declarations that it will not seek revenge and protect women's rights.

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In video: Women climb the walls of Kabul airport in an attempt to flee the country (Photo: Reuters)

The Taliban's previous brutal regime, which at the time enforced an extreme version of sunset laws, is one cause for concern. Another is the recent fresh memory of the deaths of dozens of people who were part of the new civil society built in Afghanistan over the past 20 years.

In recent days, obscure videos have been posted on social media showing gunmen walking from house to house or beating people on the street. The reliability of the videos cannot be verified, but they have increased the feeling of fear among the residents trapped in their homes and searching for information on the net.

The Taliban did not respond to inquiries about door-to-door searches and intimidation tactics. At a press conference convened by the organization last week, following its takeover of the country, its representatives said that women would be allowed to continue working under Islamic law, civil society organizations could continue to operate and that it did not intend to close accounts with its opponents. These promises did very little to reassure the residents.

One of the two government officials, who spoke anonymously, said he and his family tried to escape on a flight from Kabul last weekend, when the Taliban were already at the city gates, but they failed.

"There is no trust," he said of the Taliban's statements from early last week.

(Photo: AP)

Thousands of people have been trying to flee the country since last week, and Western countries, led by the United States, have promised to act to evacuate their collaborating citizens and Afghan citizens.

However, there is chaos at the airport and in the surrounding areas - American forces are deployed inside the compound, while Taliban personnel man the entrances to it.

Another government official said the Taliban appeared to know the details of his work and assets when his people questioned him.

He said they took his car and he has since gone down to the competitor.

"What we are seeing is a campaign of intimidation of people through reaching and searching for their homes," said Thomas Rotting, one of Afghanistan's analyst network executives.

"Not necessarily to stop or kill them, but it's scary in itself, and it's also proof that they've made lists and they know who they're looking for."

Women delete Facebook profiles

According to Ajmal says Sinwari, a spokesman for the Afghan security forces before their disbandment, the greatest danger is posed to members of the special forces, police and counter-terrorism forces. Norwegian intelligence report, in partnership with the UN, said that the Taliban stop military officials, police and intelligence, as well as family members of those who do not deserve to be polled.

In addition, Amnesty International published an investigative report which the Taliban assassination last month of nine men from the minority try to be the province of Ghazni. Massacre The

German Taliban

has accused the Taliban of persecuting one Shiite minority.

A human rights activist living in Kabul said most of the women she knew tried to flee the country or went underground.

She added that many are trying to hide their existence from the network.

In recent days, Afghan women have stopped communicating with each other, even privately, and have begun deleting their Facebook profiles and leaving WhatsApp groups.

"They think the Taliban might check it out."