Several residents of Nili, the capital of Daykundi province, say that Taliban fighters have been harassing local people, particularly women, in certain areas. According to them, when residents go to the group’s command headquarters and intelligence office to file complaints, they are warned to drop their complaints and are accused of opposing the group. These residents of Daykundi add that Taliban fighters move around villages under the pretext of recreation, harassing people amid farmland and residential areas. Residents of Nili emphasize that the continuation of this situation has made life difficult for local people, who have no authority to turn to in order to raise their concerns.
Several Daykundi residents say they have grown weary of Taliban harassment. According to them, in just the past few weeks alone, they have witnessed three distressing incidents that have remained concealed due to security threats and Taliban warnings. They emphasize that, out of fear of the Taliban and to preserve their families’ “honor,” people refrain from speaking out about the pressures placed on some families. According to them, Taliban fighters carry out such actions using private vehicles.
These Daykundi residents say that in recent weeks of the month of Jawza (May to June), they witnessed three distressing incidents in which Taliban fighters attempted to abduct girls but failed to achieve their goal, a situation that has deeply alarmed local people. For security reasons, further details have been withheld from this report.
One Daykundi resident says, “It was around four o’clock in the afternoon. Between the Saraba and Sarnili areas, there is a place called Dahan-e Saraba. Two Taliban members wanted to take a girl away with them. Two men shouted there that an abductor had come. The Taliban fled the area, and the girl was rescued from their grasp.”
Another Daykundi resident, confirming this incident, recounts a similar event: “It was 12:40 in the afternoon when, in the Khawalak area near the paved road, an 8-year-old girl was on her way to school. Taliban fighters tried to seize her, throw her into a vehicle, and take her away. Several men shouted there, and people gathered, after which the Taliban fled. The girl was left speechless and unable to talk.”
Another Daykundi resident says: “On June 18, 2026, a vehicle in the Sarnili area was calling out to women, holding some money, saying, ‘ Come, and we will help you and register you on the [humanitarian] assistance list. But a girl who was present there told them to go further down, that there were two disabled people, and to register them instead. The Taliban members insisted and told the girl to come with them to show them the disabled people. At that moment, a man on a motorcycle arrived at the scene, and the girl was rescued. At the same time, further down from that same incident, they also tried to abduct another woman, but due to her resistance and her raising her voice, the Taliban fighters fled the area.”
Daykundi residents emphasize that, to follow up on these incidents, local elders went to the Taliban’s Directorate of Intelligence and Security Command in Nili, but were met with warnings and threats. According to these residents, local elders were told that if such complaints were repeated, they would be imprisoned.
Another Daykundi resident says: “On May 24, 2026, elders of Nili went to the Taliban’s Directorate of Intelligence and Security Command, but the Taliban responded by saying: Do you have documents? Do you have the identities of these individuals? Otherwise, if you complain again, all of you will be imprisoned. Who can obtain documents from an assailant who strikes someone with the muzzle of a Kalashnikov and walks away? Who would dare ask him?”
This comes as local sources from the Shahristan district of Daykundi province had previously raised similar complaints. According to them, the Taliban have been harassing people in this area and threatening them not to raise their voices. For security reasons, the names of the families who have been threatened and harassed have been withheld from this report.
Before this, residents of Nili, the capital of Daykundi province, had expressed strong concern over an increase in armed robberies. They had said that armed robbers enter people’s homes day and night and plunder all of their belongings. According to them, when they go to Taliban security institutions to follow up on these incidents, they are told to write a petition and identify the accused individuals. These residents emphasize that, in many cases, Taliban fighters are either directly involved in these robberies or cooperate with the robbers. According to them, people are unable to disclose the identities of those responsible.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
