Die Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) bezieht sich in einem Bericht vom Jänner 2012 auf Taliban-Angaben, laut denen die Taliban nur in Flüchtlingslagern eine Form der Zwangsrekrutierung ausüben würden. Jede Familie werde aufgefordert, einen Mann im „Kampfalter“ zur Verfügung zu stellen:

„Taliban sources also suggest that the [refugee, Anm. ACCORD] camps are the only location where they carry out some kind of forced recruitment: each family is requested to contribute a male of fighting age. Again, conscription implies a considerable organisational capacity and a high degree of control over the refugee camps.“ (AREU, Jänner 2012, S. 55)

Laut einem Bericht des norwegischen Herkunftsländerinformationszentrums Landinfo (Autor: Antonio Giustozzi) würden Aufständische in Gebieten, die unter ihrer Kontrolle stünden, männliche Bewohner, die kein Verständnis für die Motive der Aufständischen aufbringen würden, dazu zwingen, als Träger zu dienen. In Interviews mit Dorfältesten und anderen Teilen der Bevölkerung, die in mehreren Gebieten Afghanistans im Jahr 2011 durchgeführt worden seien, habe niemand Zwangsrekrutierung als Problem erwähnt. Jedoch habe es Beschwerden über Besteuerung und Gewalttaten durch die Taliban gegeben. In einigen Fällen hätten Älteste in Zusammenhang mit Mobilisierungstätigkeiten der Taliban Familien dazu gezwungen, einen Mann für lashkar (Tradition, einen Mann im kampffähigen Alter zur Verfügung zu stellen) zur Verfügung zu stellen:

“Forced recruitment has not been a salient characteristic of this conflict. The insurgents have made recourse to it only very marginally, mainly forcing male villagers in areas under their control and not sympathetic to the insurgents' cause to serve as porters. In interviews carried out in several provinces during 2011 with elders and other members of the population, nobody mentioned forced recruitment as an issue, while complaining about Taliban taxation and violence. In some cases of community mobilisation on the Taliban side, community elders might have forced some reluctant families to contribute a male to the lashkar as stipulated by the traditions. On the government side, both police and army have always been relying on volunteers since 2001, but some communities have put pressure on their youth to join the armed forces for economic reasons, or as a way to purge undesirable elements from the villages.” (Landinfo, 9. September 2011, S. 6-7)

Das US-Außenministerium (US Department of State, USDOS) schreibt in seinem Länderbericht vom April 2011 (Berichtsjahr 2010) in Bezug auf Hazara und andere Schiiten, dass diese in bestimmten Gebieten Afghanistans weiterhin von Diskriminierung in Form von Gelderpressung, Zwangsrekrutierung, Zwangsarbeit, körperlicher Misshandlung und Inhaftierung betroffen seien:

„Discrimination against Hazaras and other Shias continued in certain areas, in the form of extortion of money through illegal taxation, forced recruitment and forced labor, physical abuse, and detention.“ (USDOS, 8. April 2011, Sec. 6).

Der UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) berichtet im Mai 2011, dass es in den Gebieten Jawzjan, Balkh und Sare Pul unter anderem zur Zwangsrekrutierung von Männern zwischen 18 und 40 Jahren durch „regierungsfeindliche Elemente“ („Anti Government Elements“) gekommen sei:

“In Jawzjan, Balkh and Sare Pul, forced taxation “oshr” by AGEs, confiscation of vehicles especially motorcycles, weapons and food commodities, and forced recruitment of men between 18-40 years were cited as the main causes of displacement.(UNHCR, 11. Mai 2011, S. 13)

Since early 2009, a group of 30 Uzbek families were displaced from Morghab to Qaysar due to insecurity and fighting between AGE and ANA/IM around their village as well as taxation and forced recruitment by both sides.” (UNHCR, 11. Mai 2011, S. 20)

In einer TV-Diskussion des Fernsehsenders Tolo TV vom Juli 2009 gibt ein Sprecher des afghanischen Verteidigungsministeriums an, dass über 50 Prozent der bewaffneten Gegner in der Provinz Helmand, die gegen die Regierung kämpfen würden, aus vielen Gründen dazu gezwungen worden seien, sich den Taliban anzuschließen. Die Taliban würden etwa eine Person pro Familie in den Dörfern zwangsrekrutieren:

“The spokesman for Afghanistan's Ministry of National Defence has said that they do not want to indiscriminately kill all those fighting the government in southern Helmand Province, stressing that more than 50 per cent of the armed opponents fighting the government in the province are ordinary people and have been forced to join the Taleban for many reasons. […]

Look, 50 to 70 per cent of the people fighting alongside the Taleban have either joined the group due to intimidation or money, poverty and other factors like propaganda, etc. Given our calculation, when Taleban capture an area, they get 50 to 70 per cent of their fighters from among the people due to the above reasons. For instance, the Taleban recruit by force one person from each family in a village. Therefore, when we retake an area from the Taleban, then we will in fact deprive the Taleban of having the above opportunities. The same thing happened in Musa Qala. When we captured Musa Qala, most of the people, who had been working with Taleban due to pressure, forced recruitment and money, gradually returned to their areas and started normal life.” (Tolo TV, 8. Juli 2009)

·      AREU – Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit: Thirty Years of Conflict: Drivers of Anti-Government Mobilisation in Afghanistan 1978-2011, Jänner 2012

·      Landinfo - Norwegian Country of Origin Information Centre: Afghanistan: Human Rights and Security Situation, 9. September 2011

·      Tolo TV: Afghan TV debates impact of Helmand operations, 8. Juli 2009 (veröffentlicht auf BBC Monitoring)

·      UNHCR: Afghanistan Protection Cluster: Protection Overview (Northern and North-Eastern Region - 2010), 11. Mai 2011

·      USDOS - US Department of State: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2010 - Afghanistan, 8. April 2011