Several residents of Marmul district in Balkh province say that the Taliban have been raiding people’s homes for several nights, creating fear and terror among the district’s residents. According to Marmul residents, the Taliban had previously demanded that they turn off the lights installed outside their homes; however, now the owners of homes that do not have generators are facing harassment from the Taliban. These residents emphasize that the Taliban have demanded that people install generators, but many residents have neither electricity nor the ability to pay for the purchase and installation of a generator. Nevertheless, some residents claim that following the Taliban raids, one woman suffered a miscarriage out of fear, and another elderly woman fell ill from the intensity of her fear and is now bedridden. According to some women, many of the men in their families are absent from home during this season, and the Taliban’s raids on homes have caused a sharp increase in fear and anxiety among women.
Some residents of Marmul district in Balkh province, speaking with the Hasht-e Subh Daily, have complained about what they describe as Taliban harassment. They say that the Taliban have been raiding people’s homes for several nights and have been demanding that residents install lights or lighting fixtures outside their homes after dark.
One woman, who asked for anonymity in this report, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that for several nights, the Taliban have been raiding people’s homes and creating noise and disturbances that instill fear and terror among residents. According to her claim, last night one pregnant woman suffered a miscarriage as a result of fear caused by the Taliban raid.
This woman said: “The woman who suffered a miscarriage out of fear, [name withheld for security concerns], was from Lab-e Hawz village in Marmul district. There was a loud pounding on the doors; the Taliban were banging on people’s gates. Hearing these sounds, all of us at home became anxious, and sleep escaped our eyes. An elderly woman who already had a heart condition has now seen her illness worsen because she was extremely frightened.”
Another resident of Marmul district said: “For several nights now, the Taliban have been harassing people at night. Because of the lack of generators, they pound on people’s gates. In the first year of their rule, they used to destroy any generator installed outside a home; but now they are demanding that people install generators without fail.”
Another resident of Marmul district said: “Since the start of Taliban rule, this group has been cruelly torturing and imprisoning people under various pretexts. Even those who come out of prison alive often face serious physical injuries and disabilities in many cases.”
Another resident of Marmul district said: “We, the people of Marmul district, have grown weary of the Taliban’s nighttime patrols. Under the pretext of patrolling, they come to people’s homes in the middle of the night, and because there are no lights outside the gates, they terrifyingly pound on residents’ doors. As a result of this situation, some pregnant women have suffered miscarriages, and several people with heart conditions have been transferred to hospitals.”
Sources had previously confirmed to the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban had, over the course of two days, detained dozens of residents of this district and transferred them to an unknown location. These sources said on July 8, 2023, that following an explosion in the district, the Taliban launched house-to-house search operations and detained several men. According to local sources’ claims, approximately 30 people were detained at that time.
The Taliban had also shot and killed two civilians in this district at night. Sources told the Hasht-e Subh Daily on Thursday, May 11, 2022, that these individuals were named Sharifshah, son of Barat, and Habibur Rahman Muhajir. According to the sources, these two men held no government position and had no personal enmity with anyone; however, the Taliban had pulled them out of their homes at night and shot them.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
کابوس شبانه باشندهگان مارمل؛ آزارواذیت طالبان شکل تازهای به خود گرفته است
