"In Spin Boldak, Kandahar, the Taliban massacred dozens of civilians in revenge killings. These murders could constitute war crimes; they must be investigated and those Taliban fighters or commanders responsible held accountable," the Embassy said in a two-part tweet Monday.
"The Taliban's leadership must be held responsible for the crimes of their fighters. If you cannot control your fighters now, you have no business in governmance later," the diplomatic mission added.
Last week, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission concluded that the Taliban's takeover of the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province on 14 July was followed by sweeps of local communities searching for current and former civil servants and government supporters, with some 40 civilians said to have been killed in revenge attacks.
Taliban fighters reportedly fled into Pakistan after Afghan forces retook Spin Boldak following the massacres. In the days after the incident, an Afghan defence ministry spokesperson told Sputnik that over 100 residents of the town were killed during the Taliban's rampage.
"While the Taliban leadership has officially stated that its affiliated militants will not harm civilians or civilian facilities...this and other similar incidents show that contrary to what they proclaim, the group has no practical commitment to the principles of international human rights and humanitarian law," the commission suggested.
The body called on both sides, and the Taliban "in particular" to fulfill their obligations "to protect the civilians' right to life and physical integrity and to refrain from retaliatory attacks."
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