Dozens of IS suspects killed after disappearance in east: HRW

KABUL (Pajhwok): An influential human rights watchdog has claimed investigating the killing of more than 100 alleged Islamic State militants after they were disappeared by the Taliban, a claim rejected by the caretaker government.

In a report released on July 7, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that residents of the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar discovered at least 100 corpses dumped in canals and other places in the region considered a hotbed of IS-K activity.

“Taliban authorities appear to have given their forces free rein to detain, ‘disappear,’ and kill alleged militants,” said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at HRW.

Gossman said their investigation focused on an emptied canal in Nangarhar where “over 100 bodies have been dumped between August 2021 and April 2022.”

Based on extensive interviews in the two provinces, HRW and its local partners counted 54 bodies of men, many in an advanced state of decomposition, along a 15- to 20-kilometer stretch of the canal.

“The bodies showed evidence of torture and brutal executions: some had missing limbs, ropes around their necks, or had been beheaded or had slit throats,” HRW said.

After the report was released, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s caretaker government, wrote on Twitter that the rumors about the discovery of bodies in Nangarhar and other provinces were baseless.

He added local officials of the Islamic Emirate had investigated the matter and not a single body had been found. “The disturbing propaganda in this regard being spread by some prominent international organizations is unfortunate.”

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