UN Says Afghan Intelligence Agency Detains Two UN Staff Members

Two Afghan employees of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) have been detained by the country’s intelligence agency, the United Nations said Tuesday.

The UN said it has been unable to contact or meet the two staff members for the past two days. According to an AFP report, the two Afghan male employees were detained on Sunday, August 9, by officials of Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Intelligence in the western province of Herat.

The Afghan government did not immediately comment on the detentions.

The office of UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the authorities to respect the special status and rights of the detained employees.

Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for Guterres, said the United Nations had not been informed of any allegations against the two men and had not been allowed to meet them.

“We have not been informed of the allegations against them, nor have we been given access to them,” Haq said.

He added that the UN was urging the de facto authorities to respect the special rights, privileges and immunities afforded to the United Nations and its personnel.

The detentions come just days before the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power. The Taliban seized Kabul on August 15, 2021, marking their return to control of Afghanistan.

Several UN agencies continue to operate across Afghanistan, providing health services, humanitarian assistance and other forms of support.

In a report published earlier this week, UNAMA recommended that Afghan authorities clarify the use of force, arrests and detentions by security agencies and strengthen accountability for such actions.

The Taliban have governed Afghanistan for nearly five years under a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Their policies, particularly those affecting women and girls, have drawn widespread international concern.

Afghan women are barred from entering various UN facilities, a restriction that also affects female UN employees.

In June, Afghan morality police detained around 20 aid workers near the Iranian border in Herat province. They were reportedly detained over allegations that their beards were not long enough. The workers were later released.

Citing an internal document, AFP reported that some of those detained worked for organizations partnering with the United Nations.

Earlier in June, Taliban morality police detained dozens of women for allegedly violating the government’s dress code by failing to wear garments such as a chador or burqa that fully cover the body.

Among those detained was an employee of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international medical humanitarian organization. MSF strongly condemned the detention.

A rare protest against the restrictions was also violently suppressed. According to the United Nations, at least two people were killed in the incident.

Afghanistan has been severely affected by declining international aid and continues to face multiple humanitarian crises. One of the country’s major challenges in recent years has been the return of millions of Afghans from Iran and Pakistan.