A group of Afghan agents who worked for the French secret services in Afghanistan feel abandoned by France after the takeover by the Taliban on August 15, 2021, according to an investigation by RFI, Lighthouse Report, and Le Monde. The Shamshad cell, a secret collaboration between Afghan intelligence services and the French DGSE, had between 60 and 90 agents gathering information on terrorist groups such as Daesh, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban to protect French soldiers and interests in Afghanistan. About thirty of them were evacuated to France after the fall of Kabul, while others have found refuge in India, Pakistan, or Iran, although their safety is not guaranteed. Some still live in Afghanistan and are hiding for fear of being discovered by the Taliban.
One of the agents, Ali, was in charge of the 915 Division between 2014 and 2018 and received a salary from the Afghan government and $1,000 a month from the French secret services. When the Taliban seized power, he had to flee with his family and now lives in hiding and in fear. Another agent, Hamza, who worked in the administrative part of Division 915, also lives in hiding in his own country and has not worked in almost two years.
Afghan agents who worked for France have asked the French government for help, but the authorities deny the allegations of abandonment and claim that they repatriated a total of 9,000 Afghans after the Taliban came to power in 2021. However, the status of these particular agents remains uncertain, demonstrating the complexity and consequences of the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover.