• 

Taliban officials reported on Monday that a mass grave in Afghanistan had been discovered with the remains of 12 individuals inside.

The burial was discovered by locals over the past two days in the Pakistani border town of Spin Boldak, which saw severe combat between Taliban fighters and former pro-US Afghan government forces.

The victims were killed nine years ago, when the US-backed administration was in control, according to government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.

"These were individuals who were arrested from villages by the former cruel commander General Raziq. They were all civilians who were killed and buried in a mass grave," he said, referring to Kandahar's late police chief.

"We are looking into the issue of this mass grave after which we will decide on what kind of investigation should be conducted."

The bones, along with those of another person discovered in a different unmarked grave, have been reinterred close by, according to Haji Zaid, the governor of Kandahar province's spokesperson.

Read next: Protests against Washington's decision on nation's assets: Afghanistan

UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, tweeted that it was "important these remains are not disturbed and damaged further pending forensic examination."

Well noted. Important these remains are not disturbed and damaged further pending forensic examination, while being sensitive to needs of families. #forensics #Afghanistan accountability https://t.co/Pg0jzIMoYe

— UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett (@SR_Afghanistan) September 25, 2022

Videos that Taliban leaders published on social media show residents huddled around piles of bones.

In October 2018, just minutes after meeting with General Scott Miller, the then-top US commander in Afghanistan, General Abdul Raziq was fatally shot by a bodyguard.

Raziq was allegedly targeted by the Taliban for his pro-US ties.

Raziq's brother Tadin Khan rejected the Taliban accusations.

Human Rights Watch called for an investigation into the killings.

"Discovery of grave sites makes it all the more urgent the authorities prevent acts of revenge," tweeted Patricia Grossman, associate director at HRW.

Look This is vedio ....
pic.twitter.com/iZB9m8IGs9

— Aftab Kochi (@Aftabkochi313) September 26, 2022

The Taliban took over as soldiers from the army and the government fled towns on August 15 of last year, but deadly fighting broke out in and around the town of Spin Boldak.

Even after the area was taken over by the hardline Islamists, US and UK officials accused the Taliban of killing numerous former government officials and their relatives there.