The Taliban have arrested at least eight Westerners in Afghanistan during the different incidents in the past two months. According to CNN, this marks a significant increase in Taliban actions against Westerners living in the country.
As per the resources, no formal charges appear on the detained people.
According to the sources with immediate learning of the matter in Afghanistan, the United States, and the UK, they include seven British citizens, including one who is an American legal resident and one US citizen.
Amrullah Saleh, Afghanistan’s former vice president, tweeted that “nine” Westerners had been “kidnapped” by the Taliban, naming journalists Andrew North, formerly of the BBC who was in the country working for the United Nations, and Peter Jouvenal, both of whom are British citizens.
However, the reason for each specific detention is not mentioned and clear, and they are not thought all to be related.
His family and friends confirmed Jouvenal’s detention to CNN.
“Peter Jouvenal’s friends are extremely concerned for his safety following his arrest by Afghan authorities in early December.”
Peter is a British/German dual-national and has been journeying to Afghanistan for more than forty years, as a freelance cameraman, businessman and investor,” as per his family statement. “He is a Muslim, understands Afghanistan better than most foreigners, and is married to an Afghan (they have three daughters), and speaks both main languages. He is being held without charge and with no freedom to reach his family or lawyers.”
As per his family statement, they may be misunderstood him, and maybe his detention has been an error and also stated that he has health complications which make his detention more dangerous.
The wife of North, Natalia Antelava, also confirmed to CNN her husband had been detained.
“We are doing our maximum to fix the situation in coordination with others. We will make no additional statement given the nature of the situation,” the statement said.
The westernise detentions come at a delicate time for the Biden government, which faces a significant foreign policy crisis in Ukraine. President Joe Biden removed all their US troops from Afghanistan six months ago, which paved the way for the Taliban to take over the country.
The detentions also represent a significant increase in Taliban actions against Westerners living in Afghanistan, and they come at a critical juncture in US-Taliban relations. Since the group swept back into power as the US military withdrew last August, it has been seeking recognition as Afghanistan’s legitimate government.
Emily Horne, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council, called the detentions “unacceptable” and said the US had been contacting with the Taliban as it urged the group to release the Westerners.