Taliban forcing women to marry terrorists: Reports

Bhubaneswar: Taliban is gaining ground in Afghanistan by capturing cities in the country. In the meanwhile it has been reported in media that the terror group is now forcing women to get married to its terrorists.

“Afghans pouring into Kabul and those still in Taliban held areas say they have witnessed unprovoked attacks on civilians and executions of captured soldiers. In addition, they say, Taliban have demanded that communities trun over unmarried women to become “wives” for their terrorists – a form of sexual violence, human-rights groups say, Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday,” reads an ANI report.

Afghans pouring into Kabul and those still in the Taliban-held areas say that they have witnessed unprovoked attacks on civilians and executions of captured soldiers.

In addition, they say, Taliban commanders have demanded that communities must hand over unmarried women to become “wives” for their fighters — a form of sexual violence, human-rights groups say, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The US Embassy in Kabul had said on Thursday that it had received reports of the Taliban executing members of the Afghan military who had surrendered.

“Deeply disturbing and could constitute war crimes,” the Embassy said.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, denied that the group had killed any prisoners, saying that would violate their principles.

He also said that allegations that the Taliban were forcing women into marriage were false, and that such actions would be contrary to the rules of Islam and violate cultural tradition.

On Wednesday, Mawlawi Abdul Qadir, a senior Taliban religious official, had said in a speech in the newly captured capital of Badakhshan province that government soldiers who surrender and “confess their crimes” would be able “to live like a Muslim under the flag of the Islamic Emirate”.

Taliban leaders have publicly pledged to be magnanimous in victory, assuring government officials, troops and the people of Afghanistan that they have nothing to fear as ever larger swaths of the country fall under their control.

It is to be noted that The Taliban have toppled six provincial capitals in the past 24 hours, which brings the total number of provinces fallen to the fighters to 18. Kandahar, Helmand, Herat, Badghis, Ghor, Logar, Zabul and Oruzgan provinces fell to the Taliban in the past 24 hours. Apart from the aforementioned provinces, there are also other provinces like Paktia and Wardak where the Afghan government forces only control the provincial capitals while the Taliban control the rest of the geography.

As the Taliban have seized around 17 provinces, quoting locals, Wall Street Journal reported that women in many Taliban-held areas are not allowed to leave the houses without male relatives or without wearing burqas.

In this regard, Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said, “Hampering a woman’s ability to leave home without a male escort also inevitably leads to a cascade of other violations of the woman.”

Several reports of Taliban forcing young girls to marry their fighters in the provinces of Herat, Kandahar, Nimroz and Helmand keep emerging.

The Taliban have killed several civilians and members of public uprising forces after capturing Herat, besides detaining local warlord Ismail Khan.

(With inputs from IANS)