タリバン、アフガン人の出国禁止 治安理由に　「掃討作戦」開始

【ＡＦＰ＝時事】アフガニスタンのイスラム主義組織タリバンは２７日夜、自国民の出国を厳しく制限すると発表した。また、首都カブールなど複数の都市で治安維持を目的とした「掃討作戦」を展開していることも明らかにした。（写真はザビフラ・ムジャヒド報道官）
　タリバン暫定政権のザビフラ・ムジャヒド報道官は新たな渡航規制について、国外に暮らす多くのアフガン人が「非常に悪い状況にある」とする報告を受けたためだと説明。「政府には国民を保護する責任がある。国民の命が危険にさらされないという保証が得られるまで」出国を制限すると述べた。
　各国政府や非政府組織（ＮＧＯ）の計画したアフガン人の国外退避禁止に加え、自力で出国を試みる家族も「理由」がなければ出入国管理局に止められることになる。また、男性親族を伴わない女性の出国は禁止される。
　タリバンはまた、カブールなど複数の都市で先週末から「誘拐犯、窃盗犯、強盗犯」を取り締まるため、１軒ずつ民家をしらみつぶしに捜索する「掃討作戦」を開始したと発表。イスラム過激派組織「イスラム国（ＩＳ）」メンバーの疑いのある６人と誘拐犯９人、窃盗団５３人を拘束したとした。
　カブールの大規模な治安作戦は２８日も続いており、欧米が支援していた前政権や米軍をはじめとする駐留軍に協力していた人々は、標的とされることへの警戒を強めている。
　欧州連合（ＥＵ）のアンドレアス・フォンブラント駐アフガニスタン大使は、「異なる民族グループや女性に対する脅迫、家宅捜索、逮捕、暴力は犯罪であり、直ちにやめなければならない」「（ウラジミール・）プーチン大統領の戦争があろうが、われわれはあなた方を見ている」とツイッターに投稿した。
　これに対し、ソーシャルメディアを多用するタリバン当局者のムハンマド・ジャラル氏は、「プーチン氏から欧州を守ることに集中しろ」と返した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/03/01-13:40）

The Taliban have clamped down on Afghans leaving the country as, separately, their forces continue a massive security sweep, going house-to-house across the capital Monday in a clearing operation.
The new travel ban was announced late Sunday by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who packaged the restrictions as being aimed at preventing hardship for Afghans abroad.
Evacuations organised by nations or non-governmental organisations have been banned, while even families attempting to leave the country by their own means now need an excuse, or they will be stopped by immigration.
I have to say clearly that persons who leave the country along with their families and have no excuse... we are preventing them, Mujahid told a press conference late Sunday.
Women will also not be able to fly abroad unless accompanied by a male relative -- mirroring similar domestic restrictions introduced last year which bar solo travel between cities and towns.
If they (women) want to travel abroad, they should have a chaperone, Mujahid said.
This is the order of Islamic sharia law.
The announcement came the same weekend a search for kidnappers, thieves and looters kicked off in Kabul and other Afghan cities -- a so-called clearing operation separate from the travel measures.
The new travel restrictions will alarm tens of thousands of Afghans who have been promised asylum abroad after working with US-led foreign forces or other Western organisations during the Taliban's 20-year insurgency.
More than 120,000 Afghans and dual nationals were evacuated up to August 31 when the last US-led troops withdrew, two weeks after the hardline Islamists seized Kabul.
Thousands with similar links are still in Afghanistan, however, desperate to leave and fearful they may be targeted by the Taliban as collaborators.
The last official evacuation by air was on December 1, although organised road convoys to Pakistan have taken place as recently as last week.
- 'Bad conditions' -
Mujahid said the decision to ban departures came because the Taliban had received reports of thousands of Afghans living in very bad conditions abroad.
The government has the responsibility to protect the people so this will be stopped until we get the assurance that their lives will not be endangered, he said, adding that they had never promised for evacuations to continue indefinitely.
Initially we had said that the Americans... could take people whom they had any concerns about... But this is not a continuous promise.
Since the Taliban took over Kabul in August, Afghanistan has plunged into economic crisis, pushing even those without links to the former regime to scramble for an exit.
Thousands of people daily try to cross into neighbouring Iran in search of work, or in a bid to reach Europe in the hope of asylum.
The United States has seized $7 billion in Afghan assets held abroad -- reserving half for humanitarian aid that bypasses the Taliban, and half for a fund to compensate families of those who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
- 'Not against the common people' -
Meanwhile, a massive security sweep of Kabul continued Monday with Taliban fighters going house-to-house in search of weapons and criminals blamed for a recent spate of robberies and kidnappings.
The clearing operation has alarmed many who fear being targeted because of their association with the previous Western-backed regime or US-led foreign forces.
Irate residents have posted videos on social media showing homes they said had been trashed during Taliban searches, but several people told AFP their encounters had been polite and cursory.
Mujahid said authorities had discovered two kidnapped victims during the operation so far, and also freed two teenage girls who they found chained in a basement.
He said light and heavy weapons, explosives, radio equipment and drones had been seized, as well as vehicles belonging to the military or government.
Six people suspected of being members of the Islamic State group had been detained, he said, along with nine kidnappers and 53 professional thieves.
We want to assure the residents of Kabul that these operations are not against the common people, Mujahid said.
The residents of the city should be confident the search is going on carefully.