Taliban forces detain head, members of Shiite commission in Kabul, sources say

Taliban forces detained the head and several members of a commission representing Afghanistan’s Shiite community after surrounding its office in Kabul, sources within the commission and Shiite representatives told Amu TV.

The sources said personnel from the Taliban’s Justice Ministry surrounded the Shiite Commission’s office on Sunday before entering the building and detaining several people. Those detained were taken to the ministry and remained in Taliban custody, according to the sources.

Among those detained were the commission’s head, Mohammad Ali Akhlaqi, and members Sayed Nader Shah Bahr, Mohammad Amir Bazel, Sayed Mohsen Hosseini and Sayed Abdullah Hashemi, the sources said.

The sources said Taliban personnel also questioned visitors and others who were at the commission’s office when they entered the building.

The reason for the detentions remains unclear. Taliban authorities have not publicly commented on the incident and did not respond to questions from Amu TV.

Abdullah Ahmadi, a human rights activist, said the detentions had raised concerns about the treatment of Afghanistan’s Shiite community.

“The detention of Shiite leaders and religious scholars has raised serious human rights concerns,” Ahmadi told Amu TV. “For some time, Shiite people have been under intense pressure. Their leaders are being detained, their lands are being seized, and they are not even allowed to bury their dead in cemeteries. Continuing this trend will make the situation more difficult for the people.”

Human rights activist Sharif Watandost said the commission’s head, its members and people visiting the office were detained after Taliban forces surrounded the building on the orders of the Taliban’s justice minister.

“Yesterday, the head of Afghanistan’s Shiite Commission, members of the commission and visitors who were in the office were detained after a special Taliban unit surrounded the office on the orders of the justice minister,” Watandost told Amu TV.

He said the commission’s head and members remained in custody.

Sardar Mohammad Rahimi, a political affairs analyst, said the detentions were notable because the commission was established under the Taliban.

“These commissions were created by the Taliban themselves, and the aim was for these commissions to justify the Taliban’s actions among the Shiite community, not for them to become critics of the current situation,” Rahimi told Amu TV.

The Shiite Commission was established after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 and has worked on issues concerning Afghanistan’s Shiite and Hazara communities.

The Taliban’s Justice Ministry has previously detained several Shiite figures, including community elders, and held them for periods of time without publicly explaining the reasons for their detention.

It remains unclear why the commission’s head and members were detained or whether they face any formal accusations.