Afghan Taliban's claims of a general amnesty have come under renewed scrutiny amid reports of increasing violence, abuse and targeted killings of former government security personnel.

According to the Afghan news outlet Afghanistan International, former National Directorate of Security (NDS) Deputy Chief Abdul Jamil Joya was killed in an armed attack in Badakhshan Province while former Afghan military commander Hashmatullah was abducted and later killed in Parwan Province last week.

According to Kabul Now, unidentified armed men killed former police officer Mohammad Omar in the Jani Khel district of Paktika Province last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a recent statement that incidents involving killing, arrest, and abuse of former government employees and security personnel in Afghanistan continue.

The latest quarterly report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented five killings, 20 arrests, and eight incidents of torture or ill-treatment involving former government officials and security personnel between 26th January and 31st of March.

According to analysts, the Afghan Taliban are targeting former security personnel and military commanders in an effort to maintain their hold on power and suppress growing resistance movements.