These shopkeepers say the Taliban have told them to vacate their shops as soon as possible. The two commercial centers, also known as “Mirwais” and “Roshan,” are located in Arg Bazaar, near the municipality building and the office of the Taliban’s governor.
Several shopkeepers in Kandahar city say the Taliban have informed them of their decision to demolish two well-known commercial centers in the province. According to them, the Taliban have asked the shopkeepers to vacate their shops but have so far said nothing about paying them compensation. The shopkeepers stress that demolishing the two commercial centers will leave hundreds of people unemployed and do further damage to the people’s economy.
The shopkeepers say about 400 million afghanis have been invested in the two commercial centers. According to them, demolishing the centers will deal a heavy blow to their economy and put dozens of people at risk of losing their sources of income.
The shopkeepers are calling on the Taliban to provide them with a suitable location in exchange for the demolition of their shops, so that they can continue their commercial activities and, in this way, provide for their families’ livelihoods.
Meanwhile, the Taliban’s municipality in Kandahar has also confirmed the plan to demolish the two commercial centers. This Taliban body has said that it will build two large commercial complexes with a new and modern design on the site of the centers.
The Taliban’s municipality has so far made no statement about providing an alternative location for the shopkeepers or paying compensation in exchange for the demolition of their shops.
Residents of Kandahar say that over the past five years the Taliban have demolished a large number of shops and residential houses, but have not been accountable for paying compensation or for the acquisition of people’s properties. Expressing concern about the consequences of these actions, they call on the Taliban to pay fair compensation in exchange for the demolition of people’s properties and to stop, through such actions, causing further poverty, unemployment and hunger among the people.
Meanwhile, the research organization Afghan Witness said in a report published in November 2024 that, between August 15, 2021 and August 15, 2024, the Taliban’s municipality cleared and vacated about 1.569 million square meters of land in 15 of the 22 districts of Kabul city. According to the report, 44 percent of the demolished properties were residential houses, 34 percent were informal settlements, 15 percent were commercial properties, and 6 percent were agricultural land.
The report states that the process of demolition and land clearance has exposed a large number of families and business owners to the risk of homelessness and loss of income. It adds that a number of the affected families have also been unable to receive full compensation or secure other permanent shelter for themselves.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
تخریب دو مرکز تجارتی در قندهار؛ دکانداران خواستار پرداخت خسارت از سوی طالبان شدند
