Local sources in Bamiyan province say the Taliban have, for the second time, detained the officials and staff of the Baran Health Sciences Institute and sealed the educational center.
Sources said on Wednesday, May 20, that Taliban intelligence forces raided the institute in central Bamiyan on Monday afternoon and arrested Navid Mozaffari, one of the institute’s founders, along with several administrative staff members, including Abdul Haq Shafaq, the administrative director, and Mohammad Hassan Akbari, the academic director.
According to the sources, seven instructors and Dr. Ali Najafi, the head of the institute, were also detained during the raid but were released a few hours later after providing guarantees.
However, there is still no information regarding the fate of the other detainees.
Sources added that after sealing the institute, Taliban intelligence officials required the instructors and staff to guarantee that Dr. Navid Mozaffari, one of the founders of the Baran Health Sciences Institute, would report to Department 08 of the Taliban Intelligence Directorate in Bamiyan, headed by Mawlawi Shahid.
According to the sources, he was arrested on Wednesday morning after arriving in Bamiyan.
The Baran Health Sciences Institute operated in the Posht-e-Maidan area near Shohada Square, close to Bamiyan Airport, and was one of the few educational centers providing girls with training in health sciences.
This is not the first time the Taliban have targeted the institute.
Previously, on June 11, 2024, the Taliban shut down the Baran Health Sciences Institute and detained its director and several staff members.
Since regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on girls’ education, and in recent months pressure on institutions involved in educating girls has intensified.
