An American citizen is among a group of 19 people to be captured and taken hostage by the Taliban.
The Islamic terrorist group raided the offices of a Swiss nonprofit group based in Afghanistan for allegedly “promoting Christianity.”
The International Assistance Mission (IAM) has confirmed that the Taliban detained the American worker and 18 others.
The Taliban stormed the offices of the nonprofit in Ghor, just 400 miles outside of Kabul.
Since the Taliban seized control of the country two years ago, the radical group has seen NGOs as a significant threat.
Since Democrat President Joe Biden’s 2021 botched Afghanistan withdrawal, the group has introduced harsh measures for the Afghan people.
Afghan women have been banned from education after the sixth grade.
They are also prohibited from public life and work, including working for NGOs.
Three members, including the American, were taken by the Taliban during the first raid.
The 15 others were taken in another raid ten days later.
However, they are being held in an unknown location in the nation’s capital Kabul.
“We are unaware of the circumstances that led to these incidents and have not been advised of the reason for the detention of our staff members,” the IAM said in a statement.
“The well-being and security of our colleagues are paramount to us, and we are doing everything possible to ensure their safety and secure their swift release.”
Taliban officials said, however, that the detainees were taken into custody for “propagating and promoting Christianity.”
The State Department confirmed that it knew that a U.S. citizen was captured by the Taliban.
The situation reinforced the State Department’s warning about U.S. nationals not traveling to Afghanistan.
Armed conflict, civil unrest, crime, terrorism, and kidnapping, make the country incredibly dangerous for Western nationals, especially Americans.
“Travel to all areas of Afghanistan is unsafe, and the risk of kidnapping or violence against U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is high,” the State Department said.
“We have no further details to share at this time.”
The nonprofit has operated in Afghanistan for nearly 60 years.
It is a Christian-based organization working to improve healthcare, education, and community development.