The Taliban and the international community must urgently reach an agreement to extend the 31 August deadline for completing evacuations out of Afghanistan, Amnesty International said in a recent statement.
Amnesty International says that the extension will help to protect thousands of Afghans who are increasingly at risk of violent reprisal attacks.
U.S. President Joe Biden has said the U.S. is on track to pull its troops out of Afghanistan in five days, despite calls to delay the withdrawal following reports of escalating Taliban threats to human rights defenders, women and girls, ethnic and religious minorities, lawmakers and journalists.
In a recent on-the-ground investigation, Amnesty International researchers revealed that nine Hazara men were tortured and killed last month by the Taliban in Ghazni province.
“Amnesty International is all too aware of how terrifying the experience is for all those desperately trying to flee to safety, by air and across land borders,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
“Every effort must now be made to safely evacuate Afghans who fear revenge attacks by the Taliban and have to leave the country. To fail them would be an unforgivable betrayal.”
