Reporters Without Borders (RSF), citing reports published by the Hasht-e Subh Daily, has said that Office 015, a unit within the Taliban’s intelligence directorate, is responsible for tracking, arresting, harassing, and torturing journalists. The office is also tasked with monitoring and infiltrating media outlets.
On Wednesday, November 4, RSF cited an investigative report published by Hasht-e Subh in September 2026, which revealed documents detailing a Taliban intelligence operation focused on infiltration and propaganda, with a projected budget of 70.7 million Afghanis.
The Hasht-e Subh report also identified nearly 1,500 social media accounts used primarily to promote the Taliban, discredit its opponents, and spread narratives supporting the group.
RSF also interviewed journalists who had been detained, interrogated, and tortured while in the custody of the Taliban intelligence unit.
According to the report, Afghan journalists agreed to share their testimonies with RSF.
The report stated: “The Taliban have established a full-fledged system of surveillance, intimidation, and repression to silence Afghanistan’s press. Office 015 lies at the heart of this system, where journalists are treated as enemies of the regime simply for carrying out their work.”
RSF added that “all these actions are part of a strategy to completely suppress journalism” and reinforce the designation of the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, as a press freedom predator in 2026.
Some Afghan journalists detained by the Taliban intelligence unit said they had been beaten, insulted, and humiliated, held in solitary confinement, and tortured with electric shock devices to the point of losing consciousness.
They said they were interrogated around the clock by different Taliban interrogators and accused of espionage and activities against the group.
RSF said that since 2021, the Taliban have detained 77 Afghan journalists, with Office 015 playing a central role in all these arrests.
