A United Nations report published Monday points to a sharp increase in targeted killings of human rights defenders and journalists in Afghanistan since peace talks started between the Taliban and Afghan government last September. At least 11 rights activists and journalists have been killed in the period starting September 12.  Analyzing data from the beginning of 2018 to date, the report published by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, says there has been “a distinct change in the type of killings.”Previously, journalists or activists mostly became victims of general attacks on the population, such as suicide blasts or other kinds of explosions.FILE – Afghan journalists film inside a classroom after yesterday’s attack at the university of Kabul, Afghanistan, Nov. 3, 2020.UNAMA has called on the government of Afghanistan to ensure the safety of journalists and rights activists by putting in place proactive security measures, conducting swift and thorough investigations into killings, and bringing the perpetrators to justice under international law.It called on non-state actors to stop killing journalists and activists, and the Taliban leadership to condemn such killings and to act against members involved in such actions.  Senior Afghan officials blame the Taliban for the targeted killings. Amrullah Saleh, the first vice president of Afghanistan, said the assassinations were part of the Taliban’s “terror campaign” and linked to the peace negotiations.”They want to break the political will of the Afg people & demand impossible concessions,” he tweeted in December.In January, Saleh tweeted that the Taliban was “targeting civil society members to weaken the voice of the Republic.”The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists has listed Afghanistan as one of the most dangerous places in the world for the news media.Meanwhile, the Taliban kidnapped 11 men, including some engineers, working on a dam in western Herat province. Sayed Wahed Qetali, the provincial governor, said that efforts were under way to secure the release of the hostages. The Taliban indicated to some local journalists that they might release the hostages in a few days.In another development, scores of local security forces personnel died in multiple attacks around the country. Eleven police officers were killed in an insider attack, followed by a Taliban ambush in Zabul province Sunday night. Another seven were killed in a Taliban attack Sunday night in Kunduz province, authorities said.
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