Two UN journalists have been seized in Kabul, Afghanistan, according to a tweet from the worldwide organization on Friday, February 11.
At least eight other Westerners are apparently being imprisoned in the war-torn country, according to reports.
“In Kabul, two UNHCR journalists and Afghan nationals working with them were detained. In collaboration with others, we are doing everything we can to remedy the issue “In a tweet, the UNHCR stated.
“Given the nature of the matter, we will make no more remark.”
Former BBC reporter Andrew North is among those taken, according to Amrullah Saleh, Afghanistan’s former vice president.
“Andrew was in Kabul working for the UNHCR @Refugees, attempting to assist the Afghan people. In a tweet, his wife Natalia Antelava stated, “We are terribly concerned for his safety and appeal on anybody with influence to help secure his release.”
Saleh also alleged that the Taliban, who took power last year, “kidnapped” eight more Westerners.
“Corruption, criminality, and horrors aren’t well revealed due to no media, no citizen reporting, and a suffocating atmosphere,” he tweeted on Friday.
“For example, 9 western individuals have been kidnapped, including Andrew North of the BBC and Peter Juvenal, the owner of Gandomak Restaurant.”
The Washington Post reported that “many foreign people” were arrested in Kabul on suspicion of working for Western intelligence agencies, according to a member of a Taliban intelligence unit in Kabul.
Andrew North “is working for the UN in Kabul,” according to Paul Danahar, the BBC’s international editor.
He went on to say, “He is a former colleague and a recognized journalist.”
“All enquiries regarding his status, which his friends and colleagues are understandably concerned about, should be directed to the United Nations.”
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the authorities were looking into the matter, Agence France-Presse reported.
“We have received information about this and are trying to confirm whether they have been detained or not,” he said.