Residents of Kunduz city have accused the Taliban municipality of extortion and imposing arbitrary fees. They allege that Taliban officials, along with local representatives, forcibly enter homes to measure them and collect money. Many residents, including female heads of households, express their inability to afford these payments and frustration that the Taliban, instead of creating job opportunities, are financially burdening the public.
Local sources in Kunduz informed the Hasht-e Subh Daily that for several days, the Taliban have been entering homes and taking measurements by force. These sources report that local representatives and municipal employees in Kunduz charge 50 Afghanis per home for this task, with no accountability for the funds collected.
Quoting Taliban officials, sources in Kunduz relayed: “If you don’t have money, find it. This money doesn’t go to our pockets; it belongs to the [Taliban] Emirate and must be paid.”
Mohammad Naeem (pseudonym), a resident of Kunduz, asserts that the Taliban collect money from people under any pretext. He recalls that many municipal services used to be free, but now even house numbering incurs a fee. He adds, “They unjustly take this money—why are they measuring people’s homes without any justification? What law permits this? They can’t find any other excuse for demanding money.”
Sharifa (pseudonym) shares her experience, stating, “My husband was not home, and I didn’t even have 50 Afghanis, but the local representative and Taliban municipality staff demanded money from me by force. They came and installed an iron marker on our door, claiming they were measuring the house. Once they finished, they asked for 50 Afghanis. I told them I didn’t have it, and they insisted that I borrow it from a neighbor. They said it was money for the Emirate.”
Local representatives and employees of the Kunduz municipality, however, assert that measuring homes aims to accurately document property ownership and assess the extent of each individual’s assets. They explain that the funds collected are coordinated with Taliban officials during provincial meetings and claim that this initiative is intended to increase revenue for the administration, which they argue benefits the community.
Residents of Kunduz counter that the Taliban provide no urban services in exchange for the money collected and merely use various pretexts to extract funds through force and intimidation. They express concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability, stating they have no information about how these funds are used or where they go. This situation has fostered growing disillusionment and distrust, with residents feeling pressured and exploited.
Furthermore, residents point out that while the Taliban have significantly raised the costs of municipal services, there is no visible effort to clean roads and sidewalks, leading to dissatisfaction. They argue that increasing fees without providing adequate services only adds to the financial burden on citizens, noting that municipal services were once provided for free.
Concerns over the use of collected funds arise alongside comments from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, who recently reported a lack of budget transparency. Taliban officials have not released public information on expenditures for 2023, nor have they disclosed details regarding the 2024 budget. This report, referencing World Bank data, indicates that nearly half of the Taliban’s fiscal budget for 2022 was allocated to security expenses.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
زورگیری طالبان و درماندهگی شهروندان؛ باشندهگان کندز از شهرداری این گروه شکایت دارند | روزنامه ۸صبح
