Afghanistan Turkic Women’s Union Calls for Participation in Political & Civil Processes

Voronkov added that the group has increased its efforts to recruit more members.

He warned that a large part of Africa could fall under the control of ISIS and its affiliated branches.

Voronkov emphasised that ISIS-Khorasan, by claiming responsibility for attacks in various parts of the world, has demonstrated its intent for international attacks.

ISIS-K is based in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The UN Security Council reported that ISIS-K has infiltrated the Taliban's security institutions and is expanding its influence into Central Asia.

According to the Council's assessment, the Taliban have been unable to control and contain ISIS. The Taliban have stated that the group is not a threat to Afghanistan.

Voronkov told the Security Council that ISIS branches have expanded and consolidated their operational areas in West Africa and the Sahel region.

He added that if their influence continues to grow, a vast territory from Mali to northern Nigeria could fall under their control.

The UN Under-Secretary said that in parts of Mozambique, Somalia, and Congo, there has been a significant increase in terrorist attacks, resulting in the deaths of many civilians.

Sources close to Mujahid allege that his arrest by the Taliban was driven by "political motives”.

Mujahid returned to Kabul in July last year, after which he was promptly arrested and imprisoned.

On May 12, a spokesperson for the Taliban's police command announced that Mujahid was being held on suspicion of killing an individual named "Qari Saeedullah" and would remain in custody.

However, sources close to Mujahid assert that the charges against him remain vague, and they believe his detention is politically motivated and lacks legitimate grounds.

These sources also expressed that Mujahid's situation remains uncertain.
In November 2021, Mujahid was controversially arrested by Taliban members in Kabul and later left Afghanistan. A video of his arrest circulated widely at the time, with many describing the manner of his detention as "humiliating”.

Allah Gul Mujahid had initially returned to Afghanistan at the invitation of the Taliban's Commission for Contact with Afghan Personalities.

The torture methods reported include electric shocks, suffocation, drowning, and genital abuse.

The majority of the deceased were former military personnel, members of the National Resistance Front, and social activists opposing the Taliban.

Last year, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) conducted an investigation into the conditions in Taliban prisons. The UN report highlighted the use of severe torture techniques, including electric shocks, suffocation, pressure, threats, forced water ingestion, physical beatings, and other forms of severe pain.

Newly disclosed information indicates that Khalid Hikmat, a former Taliban intelligence officer with ties to al-Qaeda, was involved in the torture and deaths of prisoners.

Notably, Golestan, a Kapisa resident arrested two years ago, died under torture while in Taliban custody. His family’s petition led to revelations that Khalid Hikmat, formerly head of Taliban Intelligence Department 65, was responsible for his death.

Hikmat, who was involved in relocating al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri to Kabul, was recently arrested, briefly detained, and subsequently released and relocated to Pakistan.

Hikmat reportedly admitted, in the presence of Taliban intelligence officials, to the torture and killing of prisoners whom he accused of spreading anti-Taliban propaganda.

Additionally, Khalil Hamrar, another Taliban intelligence official, has been implicated in similar abuses. Reports suggest that Arash, and Ali, both from West Kabul, were tortured to death under Hamrar’s orders for allegedly disseminating anti-Taliban content on social media.

Hamrar had also planned to eliminate Imad Dawran, a poet and former government employee, but refrained from doing so after the case became public.

Following the increase in torture-related deaths, Abdul Haq Wasiq, head of Taliban intelligence, initiated an informal investigation that confirmed the deaths of 87 individuals due to torture.

UNAMA’s report from September 20, 2023, highlighted widespread human rights violations in Taliban prisons, with nearly 50% involving torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment.

The report pointed out that such abuses were prevalent during arrests and within detention facilities under the Ministry of Interior and Taliban intelligence.

The Taliban have provided conflicting figures regarding the number of prisoners. Recently, the head of the Taliban’s prison administration stated that there are approximately ten thousand prisoners in the group's facilities.

The court stated that the accused was sentenced to two years and six months of imprisonment and 39 lashes.

The Taliban has not disclosed the identity of the accused.

According to the group's statement, several Taliban officials and local people were present during the punishment of the woman.

The Taliban frequently announces public floggings, sometimes even on a daily basis.

United Nations officials and human rights organisations have repeatedly called on the Taliban to stop corporal punishment, but the group has ignored these requests.

Human rights organisations say there is no standard mechanism for ensuring access to justice for the accused within the Taliban's judicial system.

The Taliban's court in Maidan Wardak sentenced each of the accused to 39 lashes and three years in prison.

Abdullah Furqani, the head of the local Taliban court, claimed that floggings have significantly reduced crime rates in the country.

Previously, on Wednesday, the Taliban’s Supreme Court had also announced that a man and a woman were flogged in Kabul for having sexual relations outside of marriage. The court stated that the woman received 32 lashes and the man received 39 lashes.

Over the past three years, international human rights organisations have consistently urged the Taliban to halt corporal punishments. However, the Taliban has said that it will continue to impose punishments according to Islamic "Sharia" law.

Human rights organisations have reported that principles of fair trial are not upheld in Taliban prisons and courts.

A human rights organisation called Rawadari stated in a research report that the Taliban courts exhibit discriminatory decisions, torture, coerced confessions, and lack of independence and impartiality, with the presumption of innocence being violated.