Sources in Kabul report that the Taliban, on the eve of the fourth anniversary of their rule over Afghanistan, have expanded their intelligence and espionage activities across various parts of the city. According to these sources, the intensification of such activities under various guises has left citizens feeling insecure and living in constant fear and anxiety. Sources further indicate that even individuals such as street vendors selling corn on the cob or ice cream vendors operating behind residential gates, as well as beggars, have come under suspicion, with some confirmed to be collaborating with the Taliban in intelligence-gathering efforts. This comes in the context of past practices where the Taliban used women’s attire, such as burqas, to move their fighters from one area to another. Additionally, Taliban suicide attackers have routinely used women’s clothing to conceal explosives.
Sources state that the Taliban, to suppress opposition, restrict access to information, and create an atmosphere of fear among citizens, have expanded their espionage activities in Kabul. According to these sources, the group has exploited the dire economic situation to establish a network of spies aimed at detaining, tracking, and psychologically tormenting citizens, particularly in Kabul. Some journalists and residents of Kabul, especially former military personnel, express deep concern and fear over this situation.
A Kabul-based journalist said, “As a journalist who has worked on the front lines of news for years and the child of a former military officer, learning about the extent of these activities has heightened my anxiety and fear. The situation is truly alarming. We are forced to change our homes and move to another block.”
Another Kabul resident stated, “In areas where the Taliban feel insecure, they deploy their spies more frequently than in other regions, disguised as street vendors, beggars, or even incense sellers. They have even placed informants in the media, and as soon as they suspect someone, they immediately detain them. In some areas, they have obligated residents to report women and girls who, in the Taliban’s view, do not adhere to their dress code.”
This resident added, “In our area, Taliban fighters rarely appear, but suddenly a group of their rangers line up, brutally beat one or two young Tajik men, throw them into a vehicle, and take them away on charges of collaborating with the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), after which they disappear. Even if they are not disappeared, the torture is so brutal that, upon release, they are barely able to walk.”
Nastran (pseudonym), a resident of western Kabul, said that the recruitment of Taliban spies has been ongoing since the previous government and has now intensified. She added that, at the time, there was an egg vendor in their alley whose eggs were taken by boys, but he showed no reaction. Nastran emphasized that they suspected then that the individual might be a Taliban spy.
She further stated, “One day, the egg vendor didn’t show up, and the next day, a powerful explosion occurred at the Tebyan Cultural Center in western Kabul. Now, their numbers have increased; they come dressed as beggars and loiter at street corners. Some, in plain clothes, stop girls and children walking in pairs, interrogate them, and take them to their precincts.”
Some journalists, expressing concern over the continuation of espionage activities in various institutions, say that in the absence of independent media, the Taliban have fully taken control of the country’s environment. Citizens are worried about the safety of their lives and property, fearing that those around them could be Taliban spies.
A journalist from Nangarhar, speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, said, “The situation has deteriorated significantly. Journalists in Nangarhar, in particular, face numerous challenges. If anti-Taliban media are not strengthened, the Taliban will exacerbate these issues and impose even stricter and more severe restrictions on journalists.”
Following recent arrests of women and girls in Kabul by the Taliban’s Morality Police, reports indicate that the Taliban deploy their spies under various covers and titles to different areas to gather information. Women and girls say that many of these spies pose as ordinary individuals, such as street vendors or beggars, while actually reporting to the Taliban.
This comes as the Taliban have installed over 90,000 CCTV cameras across Kabul. This advanced surveillance network, established in collaboration with the Chinese company Huawei, has facial recognition and precise tracking capabilities. Critics of the Taliban have repeatedly warned that this system is not only used to monitor public behavior and enforce the Taliban’s strict regulations but has also become a tool for suppressing individual freedoms and violating privacy.
In the past, the Taliban used women’s attire, such as burqas, to transport their fighters from one area to another, particularly when security forces were searching for armed individuals, to conceal the attackers’ identities. Additionally, Taliban suicide bombers commonly used women’s clothing to hide explosives.
According to reports from human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, the Taliban have systematically suppressed freedom of expression in Afghanistan. These actions include the detention and torture of journalists, the closure of media outlets, and the imposition of severe restrictions on access to information.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
