Taliban Holding 9 Westerners In Kabul : Reports

Kabul, Feb 11: The Taliban has detained nine foreigners in the Afghan capital of Kabul, including an American citizen and a British journalist, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing relatives of the detainees and sources familiar with the matter. Earlier in the day, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that two journalists on assignment for the UN and Afghans working with them had been detained in Kabul.

According to the newspaper, among those detained are British journalist Andrew North and an Irish photographer. The newspaper said that seven more foreigners have been detained separately in Kabul since December, including one American and six British citizens. The reasons for their detention have not been reported. In turn, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, commenting on the situation with two journalists, told Agence France-Presse that the leadership of the movement was dealing with the issue.

Since the Taliban takeover in August, national and global journalistic associations have voiced concern over a rise in violence against media workers, with many reporters detained and media outlets shut down.