Local sources say the Taliban have arrested around 40 residents of Wandiyan village in Shahr-e Buzurg district of Badakhshan province on charges of playing music at a wedding ceremony.
Sources told the Hasht-e Subh Daily on Saturday, October 31, that the incident occurred about five days ago. Following a confrontation with local residents, the Taliban arrested 20 people in Shahr-e Buzurg district and transferred another 20 to Faizabad, the provincial capital.
According to the sources, some residents fled for fear of arrest, and the Taliban are still pursuing them.
The sources said the incident began after local residents obtained permission from the Taliban to hold a wedding ceremony with music.
They added that one Taliban fighter was also killed during clashes between the group and local residents.
The arrests come as the Taliban have imposed widespread restrictions over the past five years, including a ban on playing music. Similar incidents have also been reported previously.
Recently, local sources in Herat said Taliban officials from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice entered a women’s gathering at a private home and attempted to take away several women and girls over what they described as the “sound of music” being heard.
