Local sources in Afghanistan’s Ghor province have told Nimruz TV that Taliban intelligence forces detained at least 13 people over the past two days in Firozkoh and surrounding areas on suspicion of links to the Green Trend, a political movement led by former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh.
According to the sources, some of those detained were arrested at their homes in the village of Atos Sofla, while others were taken from their workplaces in the city of Firozkoh. The sources said Taliban intelligence personnel arrived in military vehicles and transferred the detainees to an undisclosed location.
In a statement, the Green Trend said Taliban intelligence had detained “dozens of young people” in Ghor, particularly in Firozkoh, over alleged links to the movement. The group warned that the detainees could face physical and psychological abuse but did not specifically confirm that those arrested were members of the organization.
Sources said the arrests followed a reported rocket attack, attributed to the Green Trend, against a Taliban checkpoint in Dawlat Yar district. According to the sources, the attackers escaped, after which Taliban authorities detained a number of former members and supporters of the movement.
Local sources also said that around 20 community elders met the Taliban governor on Wednesday to request the detainees’ release. According to those sources, local Taliban officials said they had no information about the arrests.
One local source told Nimruz TV that at least three of those detained previously worked in Afghanistan’s former government, including in the departments of agriculture and livestock, labor and social affairs, and the state-owned Bank-e-Melli.
The Taliban have not publicly commented on the reported arrests. Families of the detainees say they have not been informed where their relatives are being held or what their current condition is.
Nimruz TV has not been able to independently verify the claims made by local sources or the Green Trend.
