The Taliban stopped an Afghan UN staff member as he tried to reach Kabul airport on Sunday. They searched his vehicle and found his UN identification. Then they beat him.
On Monday, three unknown men visited the home of another UN staff member who was at work at the time. They asked his son where his father was, and accused him of lying: “We know his location and what he does.”
The incidents are among dozens contained in an internal UN security document seen by Reuters that describes veiled threats, the looting of UN offices and physical abuse of staff since August 10, shortly before the Taliban swept to power.
While the militant movement has sought to reassure Afghans and western powers that they will respect people’s rights, reports of reprisals have undermined confidence, not least among those associated with foreign organisations.
The Taliban did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the UN incident list. The UN has relocated about a third of the 300 foreign staff it had in Afghanistan to Kazakhstan.