After taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have placed their commanders and fighters in various ministries and departments. This group has dismissed the majority of individuals who were appointed to government positions based on their education, experience, and expertise, replacing them with their uneducated and incompetent fighters. This has angered many citizens, especially those in Herat province. They say that if the Taliban do not resort to suppressing the people, everyone will protest against unemployment and corruption within government institutions.
Several residents of Herat claim that after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, they assigned specialized positions in this province to their uneducated fighters. They allege that this group has become corrupt but has not learned how to work. According to these Herat residents, the Taliban’s administrative procedures have caused numerous challenges and confusion for the people.
Jamaluddin, a resident of this province, who went to the civil registration office under Taliban management to obtain national identification cards for his children, complains about the lack of proper management and the presence of corruption in this office. He says, “After four years, I returned to the civil registration office with my children to get their ID cards. People who are not skilled and were petition writers in the previous government and have ties with the Taliban have replaced the skilled and competent employees, disrupting the system entirely, causing delays, mistakes, and demanding bribes.”
This man, who faced many challenges in obtaining ID cards, emphasizes that he finally managed to get a paper ID card after paying money and later faced several writing errors when applying for the electronic ID card.
Shoaib (pseudonym), another resident of Herat, who went to the legal affairs office in this province under Taliban management for a legal dispute, says that the uneducated Taliban staff openly take bribes from people. He adds, “Bribery is rampant. For a legal matter involving inherited land, I went to the legal affairs office after the dispute. Despite no progress being made, I was threatened by employees to pay money.” Shoaib says that his case has not yet begun, but he paid a legal staff member to expedite his case, yet no action has been taken after a week.
Residents of Herat say that bribery and incompetence are not limited to one or two Taliban-controlled departments in this province, but many offices face widespread challenges.
Ahmad Farid, another resident of Herat, claims that the staff of the Taliban-controlled justice department know how to take bribes but do not know how to work. He adds, “Our dispute over the mortgage of a house was brought to the justice department. Even though I was in the right, not only was my right not given, but my opponent bribed the officials, leading to my overnight imprisonment, and the case was unfairly ruled in favor of the claimant through force and against the principles.”
Herat residents complain about the increase in corruption and coercion in Taliban-controlled government institutions, while previous sources within the Taliban have confirmed that corruption among this group has increased by 80 to 90 percent compared to their previous rule.
People complain about the unemployment and bribery of the Taliban while the majority of the group’s commanders in Herat have taken second and third wives and have become owners of luxurious apartments, land, and fuel stations.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
