27. September 2022

Diese Anfragebeantwortung wurde für die Veröffentlichung auf ecoi.net abgeändert.

Kurzbeschreibungen zu den in dieser Anfragebeantwortung verwendeten Quellen sowie Ausschnitte mit Informationen aus diesen Quellen finden Sie im Anhang.

Wenige Tage nach der Machtübernahme der Taliban im August 2021 berichtet die französische Medienwebseite Mediapart unter Bezugnahme auf Bewohner·innen Kabuls, dass die Taliban nach Aktivist·innen, Dolmetscher·innen und Soldat·innen der ehemaligen Regierung suchen würden. Im August 2021 hätten lokale Quellen angeführt, dass die Taliban Listen mit Personen vorbereiten würden, die für das Ausland gearbeitet hätten (Mediapart, 21. August 2021). Im Rahmen eines im Juni 2022 veröffentlichten Berichts interviewte das Danish Immigration Service (DIS) im April und März 2022 mehrere Vertreter·innen internationaler Organisationen sowie Journalist·innen. Ein Vertreter einer internationalen humanitären Organisation habe im März 2022 gegenüber dem DIS angegeben, dass die offizielle Linie der Taliban vorsehe, dass Menschen, die für Botschaften, internationale Organisationen und Nichtregierungsorganisationen gearbeitet hätten, nicht verfolgt werden würden. In Bezug auf einfache Arbeitskräfte ausländischer Truppen, wie beispielsweise Fahrer, Köche, Mechaniker etc., die regelmäßig in Militärstützpunkten aus- und eingegangen seien, habe die Quelle angeführt, dass für solche Arbeitskräfte in der Regel kein Risiko bestehe, dies aber generell von anderen Faktoren abhänge, wie beispielsweise der Zugehörigkeit zu einer bestimmten Gruppe. Die Quelle habe ergänzt, dass solche Arbeitskräfte gefährdeter seien, wenn sie eine Truppeneinheit unterstützt hätten, die sich in aktiven Kämpfen mit den Taliban befunden habe. Ebenso seien sie gefährdeter, wenn sie Familienangehörige hätten, die Probleme mit den Taliban hätten (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 62). Ein ebenfalls vom DIS interviewter Journalist habe diesbezüglich im April 2022 angeführt, dass Personen, die in Militäreinrichtungen in niedrigen Positionen beschäftigt gewesen seien und nicht mit aktiven Kampfhandlungen in Verbindung gebracht würden, nicht allein aufgrund ihrer früheren Tätigkeit verfolgt würden. Die Quelle habe allerding ergänzt, dass die frühere Beschäftigung dennoch in persönlichen Auseinandersetzungen gegen diese Personen verwendet werden könne (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 92).

Generell hätten mehrere Interviewpartner·innen des DIS angeführt, dass die Tätigkeit als Mitarbeiter·in ausländischer Gruppen, einschließlich als Dolmetscher, ein Verfolgungsrisiko darstelle, das konkrete Risiko aber von unterschiedlichen Faktoren abhänge, wie beispielsweise der konkreten Tätigkeit oder vom jeweiligen Rang, den eine Person innehatte (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 52; 70; 92). Ein Vertreter einer internationalen Organisation habe im April dem DIS gegenüber erklärt, dass es zudem auch auf die individuellen Umstände ankomme, einschließlich des Arbeitsplatzes, des Arbeitgebers, des familiären Hintergrunds und der Frage, ob die Personen mit den Taliban zu tun gehabt hätten, wobei es unter den gegebenen Umständen auch zu privaten Racheakten kommen könne (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 52). Ein weiterer Vertreter einer internationalen in Afghanistan tätigen Organisation habe ebenfalls angemerkt, dass oft unklar sei, ob Personen ins Visier der Taliban geraten würden, weil sie den Sicherheitskräften angehört hätten, oder ob persönliche Gründe ausschlaggebend seien. Der Quelle sei eine Vielzahl von Vorfällen bekannt, bei denen Afghan·innen, darunter auch Dolmetscher·innen, ohne ersichtlichen Grund oder rechtliche Grundlage verhaftet oder getötet worden seien (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 62). Die Association of Wartime Allies (AWA), die unter anderem direkt mit dem US-Außenministerium zusammenarbeitet, veröffentlichte im Juni 2022 die Ergebnisse ihrer Befragung von afghanischen Antragsteller·innen auf ein Sondereinwanderungsvisum (Special Immigrant Visa, SIV), die mit den US-Streitkräften in Afghanistan zusammengearbeitet hätten und die nach wie vor in Afghanistan aufhältig seien, einschließlich Dolmetscher·innen. Der AWA zufolge hätten 29 Prozent der Befragten angegeben, bereits einmal von den Taliban verhaftet worden zu sein, und 51 Prozent hätten angeführt, bereits von den Taliban verhört oder festgehalten worden zu sein (AWA, 1. Juli 2022, S. 2).

Der bereits erwähnte Vertreter einer internationalen Organisation habe dem DIS gegenüber erklärt, dass das jeweilige Verfolgungsrisiko neben der eigenen Funktion auch davon abhänge, wie bekannt die Tätigkeit der jeweiligen Person in ihrem eigenen Umfeld beziehungsweise bei den Taliban sei (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 52). Der vom DIS im April 2022 interviewte Journalist habe außerdem darauf hingewiesen, dass es Fälle gegeben habe, in denen Dorfbewohner·innen den Taliban Informationen über Dolmetscher·innen ausländischer Divisionen, die mit der lokalen Bevölkerung Konflikte gehabt hätten, mitgeteilt hätten. Laut der Quelle seien die Taliban in Teilen Afghanistans oft mit den örtlichen Gemeinschaften verwoben und würden daher über ausgezeichnete Informationen darüber verfügen, wer für ausländische Truppen, Nichtregierungsorganisationen etc. gearbeitet habe (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 92). In einem Online-Interview vom November 2021 habe ein afghanischer Rechtsprofessor zur Situation von Personen, die mit der früheren Regierung, den Sicherheitskräften oder ausländischen Kräften affiliiert waren, der Europäischen Asylagentur (EUAA) gegenüber betont, dass persönliche Feindschaften sowie lokale Konflikte und ethnische Spannungen hinter gezielten Tötungen stehen würden. Die Quelle habe erläutert, dass Taliban-Kämpfer häufig gezielte Tötungen aus Rache begehen würden. In der Regel würden sich lokale Taliban an lokalen Akteuren aufgrund schon länger bestehender Konflikte rächen. Es gebe auch Muster lokaler Rivalitäten zwischen Stämmen, die sich entweder mit den Taliban oder der früheren Regierung verbündet hätten. Nach der Machtübernahme der Taliban habe sich die Dynamik verändert, so dass sich einige ethnische Spannungen verschärft hätten (EUAA, Jänner 2022, S. 48).

Zur Lage von Angehörigen der früheren afghanischen Armee, Polizei sowie von Ortskräften der NATO erklärte der landeskundige Journalist und Buchautor Emran Feroz im Rahmen eines im Februar 2022 abgehaltenen COI-Webinars folgendes:

„Emran Feroz: […] Die Angst bei den Angehörigen von Armee und Polizei und auch bei den Ortskräften der NATO, von denen viele immer noch in Kabul und in anderen Provinzen leben, die ist immer noch da. Viele verstecken sich. Leute, die ich kenne und die auch in den letzten Wochen und Monaten Teil meiner Berichte waren, versuchen weiterhin irgendwie aus Afghanistan rauszukommen oder im Untergrund zu bleiben, nicht aufzufallen, weil sie Angst haben, dass sie abgeführt werden und auf einmal vor einem Taliban-Gericht landen und hingerichtet werden. Also diese Angst ist weiterhin da, auch wenn man weniger davon hört. Ich weiß nicht, ob sich das in naher Zukunft ändern wird.“ (ACCORD, März 2022, S. 25-26)

In einem 2022 veröffentlichten Bericht zur Situation von Personen, die angeben, mit britischen Organisationen zusammengearbeitet zu haben und sich nach wie vor in Afghanistan befinden, listen die British & Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group (BAAG) und weitere diplomatische bzw. Menschenrechtsorganisationen einige konkrete Fallbeispiele auf. Ein ehemaliger Mitarbeiter der Provinzregierung Helmands, der im Rahmen des von der britischen Regierung finanzierten „Helmand Growth Programme“ tätig war, habe mitgeteilt, dass für ihn aktuell eines der größten Probleme sei, dass niemand bereit sei, Häuser an Personen zu vermieten, die sich vor den Taliban verstecken würden. Er könne zudem keine Arbeit finden, sodass er und seine Familie Schwierigkeiten hätten, ihre täglichen Ausgaben zu begleichen. Er befürchte, dass er sich bald stellen müsse, da er es sich nicht leisten könne, noch länger versteckt zu leben. Täglich höre er von Verhaftungen und Ermordungen von Personen, die mit ausländischen Regierungen zusammengearbeitet hätten. Die Taliban würden die Geschwister der Zielpersonen ausforschen, sie foltern und von Tür zu Tür gehen, um die Zielpersonen zu finden. Sein Haus sei vor einigen Wochen spät nachts gestürmt worden, und er habe nur knapp durch die Hintertür entkommen können. Vor einer Woche sei sein Bruder von den Taliban angerufen und nach seinem Aufenthaltsort gefragt worden. Die Taliban hätten von seinem Bruder verlangt, dass er ihn auf die Polizeiwache bringe, und ihn gewarnt, dass er selbst inhaftiert würde, wenn er nicht helfen und Informationen über den Aufenthaltsort liefern würde (BAAG et al., 2022, S. 1).

Eine andere britische Entwicklungsberatungsfirma habe laut dem BAAG-Bericht Hunderte von Afghanen für eine Reihe von durch Großbritannien finanzierten Projekten unter Vertrag genommen, die in wichtigen Positionen zur Unterstützung der britischen Mission in Afghanistan gearbeitet hätten. Während einige von ihnen evakuiert worden seien, seien viele andere in Afghanistan weiterhin stark gefährdet. Eine dieser Personen habe vier Jahre lang an einem vom britischen Ministerium für Internationale Entwicklung finanzierten Steuerreformprojekt gearbeitet. In seinem Stamm gebe es viele Taliban, die wüssten, dass er sich geweigert habe, mit ihnen zusammenzuarbeiten, und die ihn für einen Verräter halten würden. Im August 2021 habe er eine gezielte Drohung von einem hochrangigen Taliban-Beamten erhalten, und sein Schwager sei verhaftet worden. Im September 2021 hätten die Taliban sein Haus durchsucht und nach ihm verlangt. Seine Frau sei bei dieser Aktion erschossen worden (BAAG et al., 2022, S. 2).

Im Oktober 2021 berichtete France 24 bezugnehmend auf das niederländische öffentlich-rechtliche Fernsehen, dass afghanische Dolmetscher, die für die Niederlande gearbeitet hätten, von den Taliban vor Gericht geladen worden seien. Die Dolmetscher seien untergetaucht, die Taliban würden allerdings in einem Brief drohen, ihre Familienangehörigen zur Verantwortung zu ziehen und diese streng zu bestrafen, wenn die Gesuchten nicht vor Gericht erscheinen würden. Der Empfänger des Briefes, der für die EU-Polizeimission in Afghanistan gearbeitet habe, werde beschuldigt, „unehrenhaftes und verbotenes Geld“ von Ausländern angenommen zu haben. In einem anderen Brief an einen Dolmetscher, den die Taliban beschuldigen würden, für den Tod einiger ihrer Kämpfer verantwortlich zu sein, werde ebenfalls Rache an Angehörigen angedroht (France 24, 5. Oktober 2021).

Zwischen August 2021 und August 2022 veröffentlichten mehrere englischsprachige Medien Reportagen über die Lage von Personen, die mit Großbritannien, den USA oder Kanada zusammengearbeitet hätten und nach wie vor in Afghanistan aufhältig seien, viele davon Dolmetscher. Viele der Berichte weisen darauf hin, dass diese Personen aus Angst untergetaucht seien (The Telegraph, 24. Jänner 2022; The Independent, 15. August 2022; The Telegraph, 15. August 2022; Daily Mail, 30. September 2021), dass die Taliban nach ihnen suchen würden (The Wall Street Journal, 26. August 2022; CTV News, 15. August 2022; Daily Mail, 27. Mai 2022; Daily Mail, 30. September 2021), sie bedrohen würden (The Independent, 15. August 2022; The Telegraph, 16. Juni 2022), oder dass sie oder ihre Angehörigen bereits Opfer von Misshandlung (The Telegraph, 15. August 2022; Daily Mail, 27. Mai 2022; The Telegraph, 24. Jänner 2022; Daily Mail, 30. September 2021) oder gezielten Tötungen durch die Taliban geworden seien (The Wall Street Journal, 26. August 2022; The Independent, 15. August 2022).

Zwei dieser Reportagen stellen Informationen zu Personen bereit, deren Zusammenarbeit mit den britischen Kräften bereits mehrere Jahre zurückliege: Die britische Online-Zeitung The Independent berichtete im August 2022 von einem 38-jährigen Afghanen, der zwischen 2010 und 2015 für die afghanischen Sicherheitskräfte tätig war und von der britischen Armee ausgebildet worden sei und sich nun aus Angst vor den Taliban versteckt halten müsse. Derselbe Artikel enthält Informationen über einen bis 2014 für die britische Armee tätigen Dolmetscher, der von den Taliban geschlagen und bedroht worden sei (The Independent, 15. August 2022). Die britische Boulevardzeitung Daily Mail berichtet im Mai 2022 über die Lage Dolmetschers, der zwischen 2009 und 2011 für die britischen Streitkräfte tätig gewesen sei. Die Taliban hätten das Zuhause seiner Familie aufgesucht und seine Mutter und seinen Bruder verprügelt, um Informationen über seinen Aufenthaltsort zu erhalten (Daily Mail, 27. Mai 2022).

Quellen: (Zugriff auf alle Quellen am 27. September 2022)

·      ACCORD – Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation: Afghanistan: Aktuelle Lage & Überblick über relevante Akteure; Situation gefährdeter Gruppen, März 2022 (Vortragende: Katja Mielke und Emran Feroz)
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2070441/2022-03_ACCORD_COI-Webinar_Afghanistan_Februar_2022.pdf

·      AWA – Association of Wartime Allies: The Left Behind Afghans, 1. Juli 2022
https://www.wartimeallies.co/_files/ugd/5887eb_2f0405096b9243aa9b28608ba8b3d756.pdf

·      BAAG – British & Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group et al.: Case Studies on the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2078334/Case+study+briefing_final_0.pdf

·      CTV News: Thousands of Afghans who helped Canada trapped in Afghanistan, struggling to leave, 15. August 2022
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/thousands-of-afghans-who-helped-canada-trapped-in-afghanistan-struggling-to-leave-1.6027287

·      Daily Mail: Beaten and betrayed, 30. September 2021
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10047291/Translators-left-Kabul-British-hunted-Taliban-following-MoD-security-blunder.html

·      Daily Mail: Terror of the ones we left behind, 27. Mai 2022
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10859093/New-report-damns-Foreign-Office-Kabul-evacuation-Afghan-helpers-hunted-Taliban.html

DIS – Danish Immigration Service: Afghanistan; Taliban’s impact on the population, Juni 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2075256/afghanistan_fmm_rapport_200622.pdf

·      EUAA – European Union Agency for Asylum (formerly: European Asylum Support Office, EASO): Afghanistan Country Focus - Country of Origin Information Report, Jänner 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2066332/2022_01_EASO_COI_Report_Afghanistan_Country_focus.pdf

·      France 24: Taliban summon Afghan interpreters who worked for Dutch, threaten families, 5. Oktober 2021
https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20211005-taliban-summon-afghan-interpreters-who-worked-for-dutch-threaten-families

·      Mediapart: Survivre sous le régime des talibans, 21. August 2021
https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/international/210821/survivre-sous-le-regime-des-talibans

·      The Independent: ‘It feels like I’m sitting and waiting for death to come’, 15. August 2022 (verfügbar auf Factiva)

·      The Telegraph: Save us, beg the GCHQ-trained Afghan spies still in hiding from the Taliban, 24. Jänner 2022
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/01/24/save-us-beg-gchq-trained-afghan-spies-still-hiding-taliban/

·      The Telegraph: ‘We escaped the Taliban, but it’s impossible to begin a new life in the UK’, 15. August 2022
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/escaped-taliban-impossible-begin-new-life-uk/

·      The Telegraph: Guards who protected British embassy from Taliban attacks still stranded in Afghanistan, 16. Juni 2022
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/guards-protected-british-embassy-taliban-attacks-still-stranded/

·      The Wall Street Journal: Arrests and Killings Drive Afghan Troops Once Allied With U.S. Into Hiding, 26. August 2022
https://www.wsj.com/articles/afghanistan-taliban-national-resistance-front-11661523527

 

Anhang: Quellenbeschreibungen und Informationen aus ausgewählten Quellen

Die Association of Wartime Allies setzt sich für Sondereinwanderungsvisa für Verbündete der USA in Afghanistan und im Irak ein und arbeitet unter anderem direkt mit dem US-Außenministerium zusammen.

·      AWA – Association of Wartime Allies: The Left Behind Afghans, 1. Juli 2022
https://www.wartimeallies.co/_files/ugd/5887eb_2f0405096b9243aa9b28608ba8b3d756.pdf

„Of Males and Females reporting, 29% said they had been imprisoned by the Taliban at some point and 51% of Males and Females reported that they had been questioned or detained by the Taliban.” (AWA, 1. Juni 2022, S. 2)

Die BAAG ist eine Interessenvertretungs- und Vernetzungsstelle, deren Ziel die Unterstützung von humanitären und Entwicklungsprogrammen in Afghanistan ist.

·      BAAG – British & Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group et al.: Case Studies on the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2078334/Case+study+briefing_final_0.pdf

„Case Study 1: UK-funded Afghan Government Projects in Helmand […]

One of the biggest issues Abdul faces is that no one is willing to rent houses to those in hiding from the Taliban. He also has been unable to gain employment and, as a result, him and his family are struggling for daily expenses. He fears that if they are not evacuated soon, he may have to surrender as he simply cannot afford to survive in hiding much longer. On a daily basis, he is hearing news of people who worked with foreign governments being arrested and killed. The Taliban are investigating and torturing the siblings of targeted people and going door-to-door looking for them. His home was raided late at night a few weeks ago and he narrowly escaped through the back door. A week ago, his brother was called by the Taliban who were asking his whereabouts and demanded that he bring him to the police station. His brother was warned that he himself would be detained if he did not help by providing information on his whereabouts. Every day he is writing emails and calling people he knows to try and find an evacuation route as he feels trapped, without a way out of Afghanistan and without a way to stay and earn a living.“ (BAAG et al., 2022, S. 1)

“Case Study 2: Contractors implementing UK-funded projects

Another UK development consultancy contracted hundreds of Afghans on a range of UK-funded projects, working in prominent positions supporting the UK mission in Afghanistan. While some of them were evacuated during Operation Pitting, for many with similar roles, risk levels and vulnerabilities remain high in Afghanistan, and they have not heard about their ARAP application. Mohammed (*not his real name) worked for four years on a DFID-funded tax reform project. There are many Taliban in the tribe he belongs to; they are aware that he refused to collaborate with them and consider him a traitor. In August 2021, Mohammed received a targeted threat from a senior Taliban official and his brother-in-law was arrested. He decided to flee as he was not evacuated by the UK. […] In September, the Taliban ransacked his house and asked for him. His wife, who had been there for the night, was shot in the head by a bullet. She was taken to hospital where she was in a coma and had internal bleeding, and later died of her injuries. Since Mohammed escaped to Pakistan, the Taliban have prevented his brother from working until he tells them where Mohammed is hiding.“ (BAAG et al., 2022, S. 2)

CTV News ist die Nachrichtenabteilung des CTV Television Network in Kanada.

·      CTV News: Thousands of Afghans who helped Canada trapped in Afghanistan, struggling to leave, 15. August 2022
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/thousands-of-afghans-who-helped-canada-trapped-in-afghanistan-struggling-to-leave-1.6027287

„An interpreter, identified only as ‘Mr. X’ to avoid retaliation from the Taliban, told reporters at the news conference that he escaped to Pakistan but had to leave his family behind. He begged for help, saying the Taliban had issued a warrant for his arrest. ‘This is a matter of life and death,’ he said, speaking virtually from Pakistan.“ (CTV News, 15. August 2022)

Daily Mail ist eine britische Boulevardzeitung.

·      Daily Mail: Beaten and betrayed, 30. September 2021
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10047291/Translators-left-Kabul-British-hunted-Taliban-following-MoD-security-blunder.html

„Translators left behind in Kabul by the British are hunted by the Taliban following a shocking MoD security blunder.

This is the shocking reality of the Taliban ‘amnesty’ for Afghans who worked for Britain. Ahmed’s shoulders, back and buttocks are covered in bruises where he was struck with a steel cable and rifle butts. The photograph was taken by the Daily Mail on Monday, ten days after the assault in his home, in front of his terrified family. His injuries have had time to fade. One can only imagine what they looked like shortly after being inflicted.

Ahmed’s ‘crime’ was to have worked as an interpreter at the British embassy in Kabul. His further misfortune was to be one of those who were inexplicably left behind by the UK Government following the country’s chaotic evacuation last month.

I met Ahmed with his colleague Shoaib at a secret location. They are among five out of 24 British embassy translators who are still in Afghanistan. Shoaib is being hunted by the Taliban and has spent the past month in hiding. So far he has not been located. Ahmed was less lucky.

‘It was late evening and there was a knock on my door,’ he recalls. ‘When I answered it, two armed men immediately pushed inside and started hitting me.

‘My wife was screaming and my children crying. The Taliban were trying to pull me out of the door and my family were begging them to stop. Eventually they left me there, saying, “We will be back to punish you more”. Since then I have left my home and gone into hiding. My little daughter is especially worried. It has been traumatic for us all.’

More so, since his name was one of those leaked in a potentially fatal Ministry of Defence data breach last week.

The plight of embassy interpreters has been taken up by the Mail’s award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign. We revealed how the chief embassy translator with 17 years’ service for the UK was rejected for relocation three weeks after being shot in a Taliban ambush. He was one of more than 20 initially refused sanctuary because they were employed through contractors rather than directly by the Foreign Office.“ (Daily Mail, 30. September 2021)

·      Daily Mail: Terror of the ones we left behind, 27. Mai 2022
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10859093/New-report-damns-Foreign-Office-Kabul-evacuation-Afghan-helpers-hunted-Taliban.html

„A new report has damned the Foreign Office for the Kabul evacuation. What's worse is that so many of those who risked their lives for Britain, and were promised help, are being hunted and tortured by the Taliban

That night, Wahid was taken from his cell and forced to kneel on the floor of another room in the police station. Under earlier interrogation, the blindfolded father of four had not told his Taliban captors what they strongly suspected and he knew to be true.

Wahid had worked as an interpreter for the British Special Forces in Afghanistan. The Taliban would not accept his desperate denials. He knew all too well what the next step would be.

What has happened to so many of Britain’s abandoned Afghan allies since the Taliban regained power last August. And so the first savage beating and torture with electric probes began. Twice, Wahid underwent intense physical abuse as his assailants sought a confession that would have been his death sentence.

He endured but knew he could not do so for ever. It was only when local elders intervened that he was granted a reprieve and released — with the promise that if he was found to have lied he would be killed. He immediately went into hiding, where he has remained. That was December. Last week, a letter was delivered to his brother’s home. It warned Wahid to give himself up, or ‘we [the Taliban] will enjoy killing you’. […]

According to military sources, two former Coalition interpreters and at least half a dozen members of the UK-backed Afghan military have been murdered in Taliban revenge attacks in the past month. Dozens are said to have been beaten. The Taliban is stepping up its hunt for these ‘traitors’.[…]

Mashal says he spent two years with British Forces from 2009 to 2011. It was during this period that he translated for Gordon Brown. He also helped to translate during a visit by David Cameron, then leader of the Opposition. He says he resigned from the military because his family lived in an area controlled by the Taliban and he was being threatened because of his work. Angry and frustrated, he accuses Britain of ‘cruelty’ for the months of silence around his case and believes that Afghans who risked their lives for UK troops are being forgotten, despite the support of the soldiers they worked with.

On at least three occasions, his family’s home has been visited by the Taliban looking for Mashal. Once, his mother was beaten so badly by fighters demanding to know where he was, she ended up in hospital for two weeks while her injuries were treated. Mashal’s brother was also beaten up and is now in custody. ‘I am very scared and don’t know what to do,’ Mashal says. ‘I know that people are looking for me and I can’t hide for ever.’

Sumaya sobs as she makes clear her contempt for the way she and other women who worked for the British have been treated.‘I bitterly regret working on behalf of the UK,’ says the pregnant 30-year-old, who was a teacher with the British Council. […] She lives in hiding with her husband and three-year-old daughter, moving house on a monthly basis to avoid capture. For two years she was one of a dozen female teachers employed by the British Council to teach in rural Afghanistan. It is for this work that she believes she is being targeted by the Taliban.

She and her husband applied to relocate to the UK before the Taliban swept into Kabul last August. They were initially rejected as they had not been directly employed by Britain, but then told to reapply. ‘We live in fear for being the face of Britain, We just do not know what is happening, there is so much uncertainty,’ says Sumaya, (a pseudonym we are using to protect her identity). […]

Wahid, whose torture we described earlier, was given away by his smartphone when he was stopped at a checkpoint. They found Facebook and WhatsApp exchanges with friends in the UK, certificates relating to his work with British troops, and — crucially — his application to relocate to this country.

He had worked with UK Forces between 2003 and 2005, and then a British Special Forces unit. He said he was forced to resign because Taliban fighters who lived in his rural village had threatened his family. After moving away, and finding work with aid agencies, initially he felt safe. Then, in 2007, he began receiving threatening calls saying that as a ‘spy of the infidel’ he would be killed.

He moved again and in his submission to the ARAP team said he had ‘lived in peace’ until 2017, when he was warned of a plot to kill him because he was suspected of having spied for the British. Gunmen attacked his home, he said in his statement, their bullets narrowly missing his wife and their children. He moved yet again . . . and then the Taliban swept into Kabul.

‘Our lives are at risk now because of our work with British Forces, whom I served bravely and loyally,’ he says. ‘The last attack on me shows the danger my family faces. I appeal to the British Government to recognise this.’” (Daily Mail, 27. Mai 2022)

Das Danish Immigration Service (DIS) ist die in Dänemark für Einwanderung, Einreise und Aufenthalt von Ausländer·innen zuständige Behörde des Ministeriums für Einwanderung und Integration.

DIS – Danish Immigration Service: Afghanistan; Taliban’s impact on the population, Juni 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2075256/afghanistan_fmm_rapport_200622.pdf

„Skype meeting with an international organization; 4 April 2022 […]

When asked to what extent former employees of foreign troops are at risk of being persecuted as a result of their previous job, the source confirmed that they constitute a risk profile. The source highlighted that the difference in risk regarding this group depends on the function of each individual and on how aware the surrounding people and the Taliban are of their previous function. It comes down to individual circumstances, including the job, the employer, their family background and whether they had any interaction with the Taliban, noting that under the circumstances, it is also possible for private vendettas to be acted on.” (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 49-52)

„Skype meeting with an international humanitarian organization; 31 March 2022 […]

The official line of the Taliban is that people who worked for the embassies, international organisations and NGOs are not going to be persecuted. If something happened to certain individuals, it was due to a number of factors in their background or in their family. The source stated that they have been clear with their staff in saying that the staff is not in danger for having worked for the NGO per se.

In terms of low-level workers for the foreign troops, e.g. drivers, cooks, mechanics etc., who were seen entering the military base on a regular basis, the source opined that, as a general rule, workers in that type of functions would not face risks, but it would depend on other factors involved in terms of their passed affiliations. The source elaborated in saying that at that level of jobs, if they were in combat supporting a troop unit that was in active combat with the Taliban that would make them more vulnerable. Likewise, if they had family affiliations who had problems with the Taliban that would make them more vulnerable.” (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 55-62)

„Meeting with a representative of an international organisation in Afghanistan; Islamabad, 29 March 2022 […]

The individuals most at risk of being targeted are the remaining of the former security forces. It is unclear whether they are targeted because they belonged to the security forces or other whether they are targeted for personal reasons. The source added that he knew of a great deal of incidents where Afghans, including interpreters who were arrested or killed without an apparent motivation or legal ground. Members of the former security forces in Afghanistan have been subject to a wide range of treatment from the Taliban including arrests, house searches as well as being shot and killed after been detained by the Taliban. Most of these attacks against former security forces were concentrated in Kabul and the south and southeastern parts of Afghanistan, including pilots from the former air force and police officers. The sources added that members of the special forces were targeted and killed in Khost. Tribal cultures in these areas had a direct effect on the power dynamics between the Taliban and former security forces. Generally, on targeting of the armed forces, it was mostly the mid- and low-level officers who were targeted. This distinction might be the result of former low-level officers who accepted bribe, or the fact that it simply is easier to target people from the lower ranks because it does not cause a stir in the same manner as targeting people in senior positions.” (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 68-70)

„A well-informed journalist with years of experience covering Afghanistan; Islamabad, 2 April 2022 […]

The source stated that whether an Afghan who has worked as an interpreter for the international troops in Afghanistan, including the Danish troops, would be subject to persecution, depends on the circumstances surrounding the tasks they performed, as well as individual circumstances. If the division the interpreter in question worked for has engaged in combat with members of the Taliban, the interpreter would risk persecution. There has also been cases of local villagers sharing information with the Taliban on interpreters employed by foreign divisions who behaved poorly towards the local community.

The source further elaborated that the Taliban are often woven into the local communities in parts of Afghanistan, and therefore have excellent intelligence on who has worked for foreign troops, NGOs and so on.

The source stated that if an interpreter had behaved poorly toward an Afghan from the local community, it would not be unlikely for that person to inform the Taliban about the interpreter as a way to seek revenge. People have long memories in Afghanistan and disputes are not always settled easily.

The source assessed that people employed at military facilities in low-level positions, who were not associated with active combat, would not be persecuted solely based on their previous jobs. The source added that previous occupation could however be used against individuals in a personal dispute.” (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 91-92)

Die Asylagentur der Europäischen Union (European Union Agency for Asylum, EUAA) ist eine EU-Agentur, deren Aufgabe es ist, die Mitgliedstaaten bei der Umsetzung des als Gemeinsames Europäisches Asylsystem bekannten EU-Gesetzespakets zu Asyl, internationalem Schutz und Aufnahmebedingungen zu unterstützen.

·      EUAA – European Union Agency for Asylum (formerly: European Asylum Support Office, EASO): Afghanistan Country Focus - Country of Origin Information Report, Jänner 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2066332/2022_01_EASO_COI_Report_Afghanistan_Country_focus.pdf

„The Afghan law professor also emphasized personal enmities, as well as local conflicts and ethnic tension behind targeted killings. The source explained that targeted killings were often driven by revenge by Taliban fighters, and usually local Taliban taking revenge on local actors because of longstanding conflicts in that area. There were also patterns of local rivalry, and rivalry between tribes who have aligned themselves with either the Taliban or the former government. After the takeover the dynamics have changed and therefore some ethnic tensions have been aggravated according to the source.” (EUAA, Jänner 2022, S. 48)

France 24 ist das französische Auslandsfernsehen.

·      France 24: Taliban summon Afghan interpreters who worked for Dutch, threaten families, 5. Oktober 2021
https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20211005-taliban-summon-afghan-interpreters-who-worked-for-dutch-threaten-families

„Afghan interpreters who worked for the Netherlands have been summoned to appear in court by the Taliban who have threatened their families, Dutch public television NOS [Nederlandse Omroep Stichting] reported on Friday.

The interpreters are in hiding but their family members will be held responsible if they fail to show up in court ‘and severely punished to teach other traitors a lesson,’ said a letter from the Taliban, which was aired by the broadcaster.

NOS said the recipient, who worked for the EU’s policing mission in Afghanistan, was accused of taking ‘dishonourable and forbidden money’ from foreigners.

‘We will take revenge. If we are not able to get hold of you, we will settle scores with your near ones,’ said another letter to an interpreter whom the Taliban accused of being responsible for the deaths of some of their fighters.” (France 24, 5. Oktober 2021)

Mediapart ist eine französische Online-Zeitung.

·      Mediapart: Survivre sous le régime des talibans, 21. August 2021
https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/international/210821/survivre-sous-le-regime-des-talibans

„Les habitants rapportent que les talibans cherchent les militants, les interprètes, les soldats du régime déchu et les journalistes. Selon des sources locales, ils préparent une liste des personnes qui ont travaillé pour les étrangers.“ (Mediapart, 21. August 2021)

The Independent ist eine britische Online-Zeitung.

·      The Independent: ‘It feels like I’m sitting and waiting for death to come’, 15. August 2022 (verfügbar auf Factiva)

„Curled up in the corner of a tiny basement room in Kabul, Mohamed* is consumed with fear. During hours spent alone beneath the ground, he can do nothing to prevent his mind from straying to the terrifying possibility that, despite his best efforts to stay hidden, he could soon be captured, tortured – even killed.

The 38-year-old served alongside the British forces in Helmand Province between 2010 and 2015 as a lieutenant for the Afghan Territorial Force 444 – known as ‘the 444s’ – which was created, trained and funded by the British army, and has been praised by former British officers for being at the ‘spear of the fight’ against the Taliban. Mohamed is certain the jihadist group is looking for him. Since the Taliban took over the country a year ago, friends of his who served in the same unit have been captured and tortured – some disappeared – he says. He fears he is next.

The Afghan national shares graphic photographs on his phone to prove it. The images show men with raw, blistered burns covering legs and backs, angry bruising covering arms and wounds tightly bandaged. Two of his former colleagues have been held captive for two months now, he says – and nobody knows where they are. […]

Ikram still has dark marks on his arms and shoulders from where he was brutally beaten by members of the Taliban two months ago. Like Mohamed, the 33-year-old also served in the Afghan Territorial Force 444. He had been at home alone when Taliban members clattered through his door and captured him for the work he did with Western forces. He spent two weeks imprisoned, during which he endured torturous treatment, causing ‘real damage’ to his body.

‘There were several people – one of them had put his foot on my neck, the other was sitting on my legs,’ he remembers. ‘One of them repeatedly asked me which forces were you working with, and the other was hitting me with a chain. It was a very dark place. I could not see how they were torturing me, but it was very cruel. It was very threatening. They behaved like wild animals.’

The Afghan national was eventually released when the Taliban came under pressure from the ‘elders’ in the community to let him go, but he is terrified of being caught again. He fears that next time the outcome could be worse. He is now in hiding at his uncle’s home and hasn’t been able to see his wife and five children – aged between two and 12 – since his capture. […]

Zafar, 31, who worked as an interpreter with the British army for five years until 2014, is growing increasingly terrified that he could face the same fate as Ikram – or worse. The father of four says he is living in a suburban province, apart from his wife and young children, in order ‘to stay alive’. He works in a small pharmacy to earn a small amount of money to send to his family, but each time he goes outside he feels at risk.

He had applied to the ARAP scheme before the fall of Kabul and, on the assumption that they would be prioritised, he and his family had tried to reach Kabul airport to board an evacuation flight. However, they were apprehended by the Taliban, and he says they beat him on the street.

‘They stopped me at the airport and found my documents. They started beating me in front of my family, my kids. My wife and children begged them to stop. They were crying,’ Zafar recalls. He subsequently started receiving phone calls and Facebook messages from Taliban members making threats. He changed his phone number, which he now doesn’t even give to close friends, and moved location, but he is ever fearful that he will be tracked down.

‘[The Taliban] could kill me straight away. They kill people – especially interpreters – like animals,’ says Zafar, speaking in hushed tones. ‘There are no human rights. We’re even scared of some of our relatives and friends. They could know the Taliban, we need to be very cautious. Everything has changed. Whatever the Taliban want to do, they can do.’

Zafar is even more terrified after hearing of the death of a friend of his, also a former interpreter with the British. He says he was killed by the Taliban six months ago, along with his wife and baby daughter. ‘The Taliban went to his house and killed him,’ he says. ‘There is no media to cover this. The international community can’t see what’s happening to people here. We need help.’

He is now so fearful that he tells his wife and children – aged eight, five, four and two – to avoid going outside, describing them as ‘detainees’ in their own home. He sees them at the most once a month when they take the risk of travelling to a relative’s home in the province he lives in. Appealing to the British government, he says: ‘Please pay attention to the interpreters who supported the e UK forces. We risked our lives. We did our jobs, and this is the time for the UK people to do this for us.’” (The Independent, 15. August 2022)

The Telegraph ist eine wöchentlich erscheinende britische Zeitung.

·      The Telegraph: Save us, beg the GCHQ-trained Afghan spies still in hiding from the Taliban, 24. Jänner 2022
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/01/24/save-us-beg-gchq-trained-afghan-spies-still-hiding-taliban/

„Abdul, also in hiding and who worked for the Foreign Office, said the Taliban had tried to find him by torturing his father.[…]

Abdul, currently hiding with his family in Kabul having fled his home after the ‘brutal group’ started searching for him, said: ‘After the collapse [of Kabul] one of our colleagues received a call from the Taliban saying “we have all of your details, we are going to take the government and we won’t let you live”. That guy was saying all our names including locations, which province we’re from and where we are working. This was a very shocking message for us.’“ (The Telegraph, 24. Jänner 2022)

·      The Telegraph: ‘We escaped the Taliban, but it’s impossible to begin a new life in the UK’, 15. August 2022
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/escaped-taliban-impossible-begin-new-life-uk/

„As the Taliban encroached on Kabul, Raakin – a British interpreter of five years – waited in filth by the airport gates with his wife and six-week old daughter. […]

After weeks living underground, Raakin, his wife and daughter crossed into Pakistan. They slept at the border, before being flown to the UK. Raakin feels safe in Britain, and is grateful for his rescue, but his life here remains on standby. […]

After Raakin fled, his younger brother in Afghanistan was tortured for six weeks, as the Taliban sought information on Raakin’s location. ‘He would be asked about me: “Where’s your slave brother, where’s your infidel brother?”’ Raakin said. Last week his brother-in-law was killed in what the family believes was a revenge attack. […]

‘Recently the Taliban was searching all the houses of people working for the British Army. I had left stuff. My family called and said they can’t hide it. They had to destroy it, our wedding photos and documents,’ Khan [who also worked as a British interpreter] said.” (The Telegraph, 15. August 2022)

·      The Telegraph: Guards who protected British embassy from Taliban attacks still stranded in Afghanistan, 16. Juni 2022
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/guards-protected-british-embassy-taliban-attacks-still-stranded/

„More than 150 guards who protected the British embassy from Taliban attacks are still stranded in Afghanistan months after they were promised refuge in the UK.

Several of the men who worked for a security contractor company said they had been beaten and intimidated by the Taliban because of their former job guarding British diplomats.

More than 100 guards who worked for GardaWorld, a security company, remain in the country 10 months after the Taliban re-took power, the BBC reported.

One man, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals, said he was recently beaten by the Taliban because of his previous job.

‘I was sitting outside when gunmen approached me, one of [them] attacked me,’ he said. ‘They said you were working for the British embassy. They started beating me and they threw me on the ground. They attacked me again and again.’ […]

One Afghan who came to the UK under that scheme said his former colleagues from the embassy were being threatened on a daily basis.[…]

The Taliban said they would offer an amnesty to anyone who had worked for the former Afghan government and its international backers when they took power.

Yet there have been persistent reports of reprisals and harassment among these workers.“ (The Telegraph, 16. Juni 2022)

Das Wall Street Journal (WSJ) ist eine in den USA herausgegebene Tageszeitung.

·      The Wall Street Journal: Arrests and Killings Drive Afghan Troops Once Allied With U.S. Into Hiding, 26. August 2022
https://www.wsj.com/articles/afghanistan-taliban-national-resistance-front-11661523527

„The Taliban appear to have launched a campaign to track down former Afghan members of U.S.-backed military and intelligence units, according to colleagues, relatives and a network of American veterans trying to help them. […]

The Taliban, who offered amnesty to former adversaries after regaining control of the country last year, have repeatedly denied any systematic effort to target former soldiers, intelligence-agency personnel and others. The group has said that any killings or disappearances are rooted in local conflicts and score-settling after two decades of bitter conflict. […]

Afghans affiliated with the U.S. have been the subject of targeted killings for years. The attacks escalated as soon as the Taliban seized power. Many inside the country blame them for night raids and bombings that often killed civilians.“ (The Wall Street Journal, 26. August 2022)