Just three weeks after the U.S. forces evacuated Afghanistan, the Taliban wasted no time arresting and in some instances, executing individuals who are believed to be their enemies. Recent photos and videos coming out of the fallen country suggest that the militant group is executing 30 to 40 people at a time, David Eubank, a former U.S. Army Special Forces and Ranger officer said in a recent interview.
Eubank, who serves with the Free Burma Rangers and provides humanitarian services in war-torn areas, expressed dissatisfaction with the way the Biden administration facilitated the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, describing it to CBN News as "dishonorable, and a horrible breaking of promises...and leaving thousands of people behind that we promised we'd take out with us including American citizens."
Eubank added that the pullout of U.S. troops and allies has been "cowardly," as he described it on the ground in Tajikistan, where Afghan evacuees were being kept after escaping neighboring Afghanistan. He warned that the Taliban are "hunting down people right now, trying to get all the names of anyone they perceive as an enemy," including "people who work with the U.S. government, people who are with other governments, people who work with non-governmental organizations they don't agree with."
Eubank, reporting from Tajikistan to assist in the evacuation of Afghans, lamented that "many have been executed...I've seen recent photos of 30 to 40 people [being executed]. While he admitted to not knowing the scale of the arrests and killings, he said he believes "it's countrywide now," the Christian Post reported.
The Taliban are only letting American citizens and those who have identity cards to flee, Eubank said, adding that "anyone who doesn't have papers, anyone they perceive as an enemy, they are going to arrest them, and, in many cases, execute them," adding that Afghans "are in terror" under Taliban rule.
On Wednesday, the International Christian Concern reported that ministries and other NGO leaders are calling for all Christian faithful around the world to pray for Christians stranded in Afghanistan. The International Mission Board's spokeswoman Julie McGowan said, "We always ask that you please pray for the people of the area affected by the events. For the people of Afghanistan, pray that God would intervene and glorify His name in this tragic situation."
John Weaver, a long-time Gospel worker in Afghanistan, admitted that it is a "dangerous time for our brothers and sisters" in Afghanistan, likening them to "sheep among wolves." He added, "The Taliban is on a vengeance. They're trying to cleanse the land in their strict view of Islam and a lot of it is directed to our brothers and sisters who we want to be praying for in these days."
The Christian community in Afghanistan is estimated to be between 8,000 to 12,000, a lot of which are converts from Islam. This group makes up one of Afghanistan's largest religious minority groups.
