Taliban capture two UN staff in Afghanistan

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**Taliban arrests two UN staff in Afghanistan**

Two Afghan staff members of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) were captured by Taliban intelligence in Herat on August 9, UNAMA told Amu.

The mission added that it had no information on the charges against the detainees and that it had not been allowed to meet with the staff. "We can confirm that two Afghan male UNAMA staff members were captured by the General Intelligence Directorate in Herat on August 9," the mission said in a statement to Amu.

The Taliban did not explain the reasons for their capture, the organization said. "UNAMA was not informed of the charges against them. We were also not allowed to meet with them," the mission said in a statement.

The UN did not identify the detained staff members or provide further details about their detention. UNAMA called on Taliban officials to respect the protections granted to UN staff members. "We call on the authorities to respect the privileges and immunities of the UN and its officials," the statement said.

The Taliban's General Intelligence Directorate did not respond to requests for comment from Amu.

**Pressure on humanitarian workers in Afghanistan intensifies**

The arrests come amid growing restrictions and pressure on humanitarian workers in Afghanistan. In June, about 20 aid workers were detained in Herat by members of the Taliban's Ministry of Virtue and Combating Vice.

The reason for this was that their beards were considered too short. According to a document reviewed by AFP, some of those detained worked for UN-affiliated organizations. They were later released.

The Taliban have also imposed strict restrictions on women's work and movement. This has negatively affected the work of UN agencies and other international organizations. The group has banned female UN staff from entering UN offices in Afghanistan. Earlier, UNESCO reported that 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan are deprived of access to education.