Amrullah Saleh, former First Vice President of Afghanistan, says that some Taliban members who were detained during the former republican government expressed remorse for their past actions during interrogations and appealed to the authorities for forgiveness in exchange for their release. However, he said he refrained from documenting such moments out of respect for human dignity.
In a post published on his X account on Friday, 22 Aqrab, Saleh wrote that over the years he had held extensive discussions with numerous mid-ranking Taliban members and some of the group’s commanders following their arrest.
According to Saleh, contrary to the image the Taliban currently portray of themselves on social media, some detainees expressed regret before prosecutors and judges for killing their fellow Afghans, saying they wanted to become useful members of their country.
The former vice president claimed that he did not resort to physical torture during interrogations, believing that confessions could also be obtained through patience, careful questioning and close attention to detail.
He also recalled the case of a Taliban judge named Mullah Shahabuddin, a resident of Uruzgan, who had been arrested during the republican era. According to Saleh, at the request of former President Hamid Karzai, the individual was transferred to the Presidential Palace. Following a meeting with Karzai, his case was closed, and he returned home with some money and assistance.
Saleh added that some young and senior Taliban members were unable to engage in conversation following their arrest and pleaded for forgiveness in the hope of securing their release from prison. He stressed that, out of respect for human dignity, he chose not to record footage of their moments of remorse and pleas for mercy.
The former vice president further claimed that some individuals who currently serve as deputy officials within the Taliban’s security apparatus had previously cooperated with the intelligence services of the former republican government, providing them with information about several Taliban networks.
He said that when he hears some Taliban officials making exaggerated claims, he sometimes considers publishing copies of the interrogation records and confessions of those individuals. However, he added that he continues to keep the documents safely preserved for potential future use.
These remarks come as the Taliban-controlled National Television has been broadcasting a programme titled Under the Shadow of Prison, in which several former members of the group discuss their experiences of imprisonment during the republican era.
Writer:Roya Stanikzai
