Sawt Falasteen - UN says 2 staff arrested by Afghan intelligence agency

"We confirm that two Afghan UNAMA male staff members were detained by officials of the de facto General Directorate of Intelligence on Sunday, 9 August," in the western province of Herat, the mission said in a statement.

The Afghan government did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

The office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the staff members' special status to be respected.

"We have not been informed of the charges against them or permitted to see them," Guterres' spokesman Farhan Haq said. "We call on the de facto authorities to ensure compliance with the privileges and immunities of the UN and its officials."

The arrests come just days before the fifth anniversary of the Taliban's return to power, following the capture of Kabul on August 15, 2021.

Multiple UN agencies operate across Afghanistan in a host of areas including health and humanitarian response.

This week, UNAMA published a report in which it recommended the authorities clarify "the rules governing the use of force, arrest, detention" by the security institutions and "strengthen accountability".

The country has been governed for almost five years by the Taliban authorities, which rule according to a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Afghan women are banned from UN premises, including those who are staff, as well as a host of other places.

About 20 aid workers were arrested in June near the Iran border in Herat province by Afghanistan's morality police, because their beards were not long enough.

They included staff working for organisations that partner with the UN, according to an internal memo seen by AFP, and were subsequently released.

Dozens of women were also detained by the Taliban government's morality police in early June on accusations they were violating official dress codes by not wearing the body-cloaking chador or burqa.

That included a hospital worker employed by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which strongly condemned the detention.

A rare protest against the restrictions was violently dispersed with at least two people killed, according to the United Nations.

Afghanistan has been hit hard by international aid cuts and faces multiple challenges, including the arrival of millions of its citizens from Iran and Pakistan in recent years.

L.AbuTayeh--SF-PST