Afghan officer detained Taliban, marks on dead body when handed over to family

Kabul, Afghanistan: Qassim Qayim, an officer of the Ministry of Interior who served both under the former government and the current Taliban regime, had been detained for four days, following which, his corpse was received by his family on Sunday with signs of torture evident on his body, citing Qayim’s relatives.

After the fall of the former Afghan government, Qayim worked for at least seven months with the Ministry of Interior under the current Taliban regime.

“My brother was a man of the pen. He had a master’s degree and never used a gun. He trusted the general amnesty and came to this government. But unfortunately (they) martyred him. He left four children behind–all of them underage,” the media outlet quoted Mujahid Qayim, the slain officer’s brother, as saying.

“They had beaten him up. They hanged him–they didn’t shoot him with a bullet. They killed him in a manner that is not allowed under any circumstances,” said Mohammad Asif, an uncle of the Afghan officer.

However, the Ministry of Interior has said that it will probe the case “The murder case of officer Qassim Qayim is under serious investigation by the Ministry of Interior. The results will be shared with the media after the completion of the investigation,” the media outlet quoted Abdul Nafay Takor, a spokesman for the ministry, as saying.

Notably, according to a report by The New York Times, dozens of former military and government officials in Afghanistan have either been killed or have disappeared since the collapse of the former government in mid-August last year. However, the Taliban has denied the report.