Some residents of Omid-e Sabz Township say the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has set a rent of 4,000 Afghanis for each room in a house, to be paid to the group. According to them, they have worked all their lives to build their homes, but are now forced to pay rent to the Taliban for their own houses.
The township’s residents say the Taliban’s MoJ has determined the rent based on the number of rooms and imposed a monthly rent of 4,000 Afghanis per room. Homeowners are asking how they could pay rent to the Taliban for their own houses. They stress that they built their homes with their own money and also purchased the land.
These residents of Omid-e Sabz Township say the Taliban warned them yesterday to pay this rent starting from the Solar Hijri month of Sawr of this year, which began on April 21, 2026. They added that all homeowners in the township must also pay the rent for the past six months to the Taliban, and that those who fail to comply must vacate their properties.
According to them, in recent days the Taliban have inspected the homes of Omid-e Sabz residents and told tenants that from now on they must deposit their rent into the bank account of the group’s MoJ. A delegation from the Taliban’s MoJ also handed forms to tenants and stressed that house rents must from now on be paid into the group’s bank account.
The township’s residents stress that through such pressure, the Taliban want to remove the township entirely from the possession of the people and bring it under their own control.
One of the township’s residents, speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily on condition of anonymity, says: “This is oppression and bullying. For my own house, which has four rooms, I have to pay 16,000 Afghanis in rent every month. Is this decision based on Islamic rulings and justice?”
Between April 21 and May 21, 2026, the Taliban’s Special Court for Reviewing Cases of Usurped Lands in the central zone seized 1,507 jeribs of the township’s land. It claimed that the land had been registered in five parcels under the names of government institutions and had not been transferred to natural or legal persons.
The Taliban’s MoJ described this order as “Sharia-compliant” and obligated the relevant Taliban commission to implement it. The group had told the owners of houses in the township to refer to those who had previously sold them the land in order to receive compensation for the land and damages.
Between July 23 and August 22, 2026, Abdul Hakim Shaee, the Taliban’s Minister of Justice, summoned district representatives and mosque imams and ordered the evacuation of their homes. They were told they must leave their homes by August 6, 2026. At the same time, he warned that any transaction, buying and selling, and even private renting, is prohibited, and that a number of real estate transaction offices have also been sealed.
Sources say the Taliban are likely trying to take over houses whose owners are “absent” and living abroad. According to them, this process has intensified concerns about forced displacement and the possible handover of these properties to other individuals.
The residents of Omid-e Sabz Township regard this decision as entirely “unjust” and say their ownership documents have no legal problems and that they purchased their land through Sharia-compliant deeds and official transactions.
Previously, Mohammad Nabi Khalili, the owner and main investor of the township, called for an impartial review of the case based on documents and stressed that the project was established under the supervision of the relevant institutions during the previous government.
After the arrival of the Taliban’s MoJ delegation and the announcement of the new order, the township’s residents held several meetings and gatherings and asked the Taliban leaders to stop the aggression of the group’s MoJ and not to allow the rights of citizens to be trampled.
The residents consider the Taliban’s approach toward Omid-e Sabz Township selective and worrying, and say this treatment is being carried out in a discriminatory manner against Hazaras and Shias. Previously, delegations of Hazara and Shia elders had also approached the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior (MoI). Reports indicate that one of the deputies of the Taliban’s MoI has said that until Hibatullah Akhundzada issues an order in this regard, the evacuation process is mandatory and the pressure will continue.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
باشندهگان شهرک امید سبز: طالبان از خانههای خودمان از ما کرایه میگیرند
