Amidst the widespread exposure of moral corruption within Taliban leadership, sources report instances of extensive administrative and moral misconduct by municipal officials associated with the group in certain provinces and districts. According to information, the Taliban-appointed mayor in Sar-e pol province was arrested during the current year due to bribery allegations. He was apprehended at the provincial building, beaten, and subsequently detained. Similarly, the mayor of Aybak City of the Taliban has been apprehended for the sale of government land and accepting bribes from housing developers in Samangan province. He remains incarcerated. Other sources suggest that the Taliban mayor in the province of Ghazni is involved in profiting from unauthorized home constructions. He has been accused of renting out a road to nomads in exchange for hefty sums for his benefits. Previously, a Taliban-appointed mayor in Aliabad city of Kunduz province was detained by the Taliban intelligence agency for accepting bribes from the public and was severely physically beaten. Additionally, this agency has apprehended the mayor of the Burka district of Baghlan province for alleged sexual assault on a woman. It is noteworthy that the Taliban has consistently emphasized its commitment to eradicating corruption within its controlled administrations, presenting it as an accomplishment.
Recent months have seen multiple reports regarding corruption within the Taliban. While a significant portion of the moral corruption within the Taliban is attributed to their military commanders, information indicates that the group’s mayors have also played a role in instances of extensive administrative and moral misconduct. Sources report to the Hasht-e Subh Daily that in July this current year, Taliban-appointed mayor Damlah Mohibullah Mowafaq was arrested and imprisoned by the group’s intelligence agency on charges of financial corruption for this province. According to the source, after his arrest, the Taliban disarmed his guards. Another source added that during his two-year tenure as the mayor of Farah province, he had sold portions of government-owned lands in the province and accepted bribes from housing developers and private homeowners. Previously, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesperson, confirmed the arrest of Damlah Mohibullah Mowafaq to the media and stated that investigations into the allegations against him are ongoing.
Just a few days after the arrest of the mayor of Farah province, the Taliban detained their mayor, Mullah Nematullah Faateh, for the Burka district of Baghlan province, on charges of sexually assaulting a woman in the area of “Tang-e Morch” in this district. The Taliban in Baghlan province confirmed that the woman was an employee of a clinic and Mullah Nematullah entered her house armed during the night. A source informed the Hasht-e Subh Daily that Taliban intelligence personnel apprehended the mayor of Burka district during the act of sexually assaulting this woman. According to the source, in addition to Mullah Nematullah Faateh, the Taliban group has also imprisoned the woman who was assaulted by him. Although speculations about extramarital relations between this woman and the Taliban mayor have been raised, sources have not confirmed them. According to locals, instances of sexual assault and forced marriages by Taliban members in the Burka district are significantly more prevalent, but they are not made public due to certain reasons.
This isn’t the end of the list of corrupt Taliban officials. On July 24 of this year, Taliban intelligence apprehended the mayor of the group for Sar-e-Pul province within the premises of the provincial authority building. According to sources, this individual is known as Qari Wakil and has gained prominence as Qari Ma’az. He is accused of accepting bribes during the concreting of several unauthorized shops in Green Park of the city. Local sources state that the Taliban governor in Sar-e-Pul province arrested the mayor of the group first, physically assaulted him within the provincial building, and subsequently issued his arrest order. Sources state that earlier this year, the individual coerced residents of the first district in Sar-e-Pul province to asphalt their streets under threat, simultaneously blocking 150 shops and fining each household 60,000 Afghanis.
On the same day, the Taliban detained the mayor of the Aliabad district of Kunduz province on charges of extortion and beaten him physically. According to sources, Karimullah Bahador, the Taliban-appointed mayor for this district, is currently held in a Taliban prison. A source added that Bahador had been transferred to this district from Khanabad district earlier due to similar allegations.
In another case, the mayor of Ghazni province of the group has collected 10,000 to 30,000 US dollars from each marketplace for converting residential areas into commercial areas and issuing permits for the construction of commercial markets. Credible sources inform the Hasht-e Subh Daily that in this province, without payment, people are not granted permission for construction work; however, upon payment, even unauthorized construction is allowed. This happens while, according to one source, the Taliban mayor in Ghazni province has leased a busy and central road in the city, which was previously widened during the Republic era to facilitate traffic, to the nomads as a parking area. It is said that the Taliban mayor in this province pockets tens of thousands of Afghanis from renting out this space.
Similarly, in the province of Samangan, the administrative and moral corruption of the Taliban mayor has surfaced. A source informed the Hasht-e Subh Daily that Mawlawi Faiz Mohammad Raihan, the former mayor of Aybak City, the center of the province, was dismissed from his position following complaints by the public to the Taliban’s intelligence department. In a letter intended for the Administrative Office of the Taliban, it is mentioned that Faiz Mohammad Raihan lacks the capability to generate revenue and provide services, and his administrative affairs are irregular. The letter notes that people demand the removal of the mayor and the appointment of a person named Naseer Ahmad Kaamyab as the new mayor. On the other hand, after his second marriage, he moved his second wife into the government building of the third district in Aybak City, which drew criticism from the public. Sources suggest that he had previously assigned some of his subordinates to key positions in the city of Aybak.
Finally, the Taliban’s administrative office has confirmed that Mawlawi Faiz Mohammad Raihan lacks management capability and should be removed from his position as mayor of Aybak City. He has been appointed as the head of the Directorate of Labour and Social Affairs in Samangan province. It is worth noting that previously, Faiz Mohammad Raihan was surrounded during his sexual assault on the wife of one of his bodyguards in the Dara-i Sufi Payin district in the previous year. However, he was rescued through the intervention of Mawlawi Aslam Tatar, the deputy governor of the Taliban in the province of Samangan. It should be mentioned that this incident was not investigated by the judicial bodies of the Taliban group.
These dismissals indicate that the Taliban’s intelligence apparatus plays a significant role in the removal and appointment of local officials within the group. Alongside detaining individuals, this authority also proposes replacements for them, which are subsequently approved by the leadership of the Taliban. According to sources in some provinces, including Samangan, provincial intelligence heads of the Taliban intervene in all administrative sectors and play a major role in dismissals and appointments. This occurs while intelligence agencies traditionally shoulder the responsibility of gathering information and initiating certain operations.
It is worth mentioning that the Taliban have repeatedly emphasized the absence of corruption within the administrations under their control. However, locals assert that alongside hiring their affiliates, Taliban members, in addition to extensive foreign aid, are involved in widespread extortion from the public. Previously, some Taliban members were detained for moral corruption, but due to mediation by Taliban commanders or orders from the group’s leaders regarding amnesty for their fighters, they have been released from prison.