Some residents of Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, have expressed serious concern over an increase in armed robberies.
Some residents told The Hasht-e Subh Daily on Monday, September 7, that the robberies are being carried out by individuals wearing Taliban uniforms and using Taliban equipment.
Three residents of Mazar-i-Sharif said that last night at Sayyadabad Square, two armed men who identified themselves as members of the Taliban’s intelligence agency took money from them and threatened to shoot them if they refused to pay.
The residents said,“Two men identified themselves as mujahideen [Taliban] and stopped our vehicle. They searched for something, but when they found nothing, they accused us of being intoxicated. They said, ‘If you do not give us something, we will beat you and label you as rebels.”
They said they were forced to pay 3,000 Afghani to the men in order to escape from them.
According to them, the men were driving black, right-hand-drive (RHD) vehicles and identified themselves as members of the Taliban’s intelligence agency.
Residents of Mazar-i-Sharif have expressed serious concern over extortion and armed robberies, saying that without the presence and involvement of the Taliban, no one would be able to carry out armed robberies.
