The Taliban's General Directorate of Intelligence detained two Afghan employees of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in the western city of Herat on Sunday, the UN announced Wednesday.
UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq stated that the mission has not been informed of the charges against the two individuals and has been unable to visit them. The UN mission has called on the Taliban to "ensure compliance with the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and its officials."
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from the country. Since then, the group has imposed severe restrictions on women and girls, barring them from secondary and higher education, employment, and other aspects of public life.
The UN mission's mandate, established by the UN Security Council, includes promoting humanitarian assistance, human rights, equality for women and girls, inclusive governance, and economic stability in Afghanistan.
The detentions occurred amidst a worsening humanitarian crisis in the impoverished nation and ongoing cross-border clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistani forces. Tensions escalated in February following an Afghan raid into Pakistan in response to Pakistani airstrikes within Afghanistan, which Islamabad characterized as "open war."
Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, expressed concern that the detentions "seriously threaten the U.N.'s work throughout Afghanistan and its ability to deliver lifesaving aid." She urged Taliban authorities to "immediately release those held and ensure all aid agencies can work without intimidation or interference."