The Taliban has detained at least two foreign journalists along with several Afghan nationals in Kabul, the United Nations refugee agency said Friday, fueling fears that the extremist group is launching a major crackdown on reporters after just a few months in power.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said in a Twitter post that “two journalists on assignment with UNHCR and Afghan nationals working with them have been detained in Kabul.” The agency offered no other details.
“We are doing our utmost to resolve the situation, in coordination with others,” the agency said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists identified one of the individuals as Andrew North, a former BBC journalist who was in Afghanistan on assignment with the UNHCR. The committee cited sources in Afghanistan who said that Mr. North was taken into Taliban custody on Feb. 8 and that he’s been taken to an undisclosed location.
“The Taliban’s detention of two journalists on assignment with the U.N. refugee agency is a sad reflection of the overall decline of press freedom and increasing attacks on journalists under Taliban rule,” Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator, said in a statement Friday. “Andrew North and the other, unidentified journalist should be freed immediately and allowed to continue their work, and the Taliban must halt its repeated attacks on and harassment of journalists.”
It’s unclear how many Afghan nationals also have been taken into custody.
The news broke just hours after President Biden said that he would allow humanitarian groups to distribute billions of dollars in Afghan assets that had been frozen. The move allows the U.S. to avoid working directly with the Taliban government, which the U.S. and other Western nations have refused to recognize after the group seized power last summer amid the American military withdrawal from the country.
The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, reported Friday that the Taliban is holding at least nine foreigners in custody, including an American. Those reports will put even more pressure on Mr. Biden, who has faced withering criticism for his handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal and for his promises that all Americans and Afghan allies would be safely evacuated from the country.
“Joe Biden promised to stay until every American was safely evacuated. He lied,” the Republican National Committee said Friday.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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