Afghan Taliban authorities have arrested 18 employees of a Swiss-registered NGO, including a foreigner.
The International Assistant Mission IAM has said that its employees were arrested from their office in the Ghor province of central Afghanistan and taken to the capital, Kabul.
The IAM issued a statement today saying that there is no information yet about the charges against its employees and no comment or speculation can be made in this regard.
“However, if charges are brought against our organization or any of our employees, we will independently review the evidence presented. We respect the local culture.” The statement said.
Taliban officials also did not immediately comment on the detention of Gasus employees.
IAM, which has been operating eye services in Afghanistan since 1996, has been working in other fields of health and education.
Although the IAM website says the organization is based on Christian values, it makes clear that it does not provide aid based on political or religious beliefs.
An unknown number of foreigners, including many Westerners, have been detained by Taliban authorities since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
The Taliban rulers have not only deprived women from working in non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies by imposing Sharia law, but have also banned girls and women from studying in schools and universities.