In the past nearly three years, the Taliban have repeatedly been accused of ethnocentrism, monopolization, and oppression against non-Pashtun ethnic groups. In the latest incident, Pashtun Taliban militants, aiming to eradicate poppy fields in the village of Qarluq, Darayim district of Badakhshan province, killed one resident and injured another. This event has incited the anger of residents, extending the scope of protests to the Argo district of the same province. During yesterday’s popular protests, the Pashtun Taliban, by firing into the crowd, killed one person and injured two others in the district of Argo. However, the protesters demand the immediate withdrawal of the Pashtun Taliban from these two districts. They have stated that this group must publicly punish the “killers” of the two residents. These protesters claim that the Pashtun Taliban violate people’s privacy and also assault the dignity and honor of the residents of these districts. According to them, the Pashtun Taliban have insulted the people with a sarcastic tone, labeling them as “wood-carriers and donkeys of the Qataghanis” These protests have also triggered a wave of reactions from political figures. They attribute the people’s anger to the oppressive policies of the Taliban and express hope that these actions will lead to a nationwide uprising against this group.
In the past two and a half years, the Taliban have been repeatedly accused of ethnocentrism, oppression against non-Pashtun ethnic groups, and widespread human rights violations. However, this group refers to its regime as “Islamic and Afghan” and emphasizes that all ethnic groups have equal rights under their rule.
In the latest incident, some Pashtun Taliban fighters, allegedly sent to destroy poppy fields in the districts of Darayim and Argo in Badakhshan province, faced extensive public outcry and protests after killing two residents.
Local sources report that Pashtun Taliban fighters, under the pretext of eradicating poppy fields, entered people’s homes and brutally beat elderly men and women. According to sources, when confronted with the people’s anger, Taliban fighters killed one person in Qarluq village of Darayim district, who belonged to the Uzbek ethnic group.
Following the killing of this man, dozens of residents of Qarluq village, including elderly individuals, staged widespread protests. According to residents, the Pashtun Taliban have also brutalized and humiliated people in villages such as Khandan Shahar, Golkay, Langar, and Pangani in the Darayim district.
On the first day of their protests, demonstrators chanted unprecedented slogans against the Taliban, such as “Death to the Emirate” and “We don’t want the Taliban.” Carrying the coffin of the deceased individual, they accused this group of violating privacy and disrespecting their women and elders.
Local sources report that following these protests, the Taliban have taken several local tribal elders and community leaders hostage under the pretext of mediating with them. After these protests, hundreds of residents from various villages of Argo district in Badakhshan province also engaged in extensive protests yesterday.
Protesters in the Argo district have expressed their anger and disgust towards the Taliban regime and demanded the withdrawal of Taliban, especially Pashtun Taliban, from this district. Local sources state that as a result of Pashtun Taliban’s firing on a crowd of protesters, a young man named Abdul Basit, son of Abdul Naasir, a resident of “Nawabad Gonda Chashma” village, was killed, and two others were injured.
An anonymous local source, speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, said, “The Pashtun Taliban ventured into Darayim and Argo districts, where locals have no objection to eradicating poppy fields. However, the Pashtun Taliban forcefully intrude into people’s homes without permission. Is it plausible that people cultivate poppies inside their homes?”
The source adds, “Pashtun Taliban have disrespected and humiliated the people in the area; this action has angered the people. How can the Taliban, who consider themselves Muslims, enter people’s homes without permission and violate their dignity? If people don’t protest, what else can they do?”
Simultaneously, in videos obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily, it is seen that despite Taliban gunfire, people have gathered in great anger and disgust, demanding the withdrawal of Taliban, especially Pashtun Taliban, from these districts.
In a video sent to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, one of the residents of Argo district speaking in Uzbek criticizes the Taliban regime for deploying the Pashtun Taliban to the area. He says, “Does Badakhshan itself not have Taliban members? Why do Pashtun talibans come to our homes and disrespect us?”
In the video footage released from the two-day protests in the Badakhshan districts, speakers claim that the Taliban have disrespected the “dignity, blood, and honor” of the residents and have subjected women, disabled individuals, and elderly men to brutality.
One of the protesters in the gathering in Darayim district says, “Threats and abuse against women have occurred in Golkay [village]. People’s house’s walls have been broken. Elderly Sayed Najmuddin, who is disabled, has been abused.”
The protester also speaks of the Taliban’s humiliation and insults. He adds, “The Pashtun Taliban tell our people, “You are the “wood-carriers and donkeys of the Qataghanis”! My brother! If you want to destroy the poppy fields, that’s fine, but why ruin the people’s wheat? You’ve trampled on their lentils and beans. What are these poor people supposed to eat?”
Simultaneously, another protester states, “People have stood with this regime [Taliban], but Taliban do not respect the dignity, blood, and human honor of the people. We have no tolerance for this regime; they have shed people’s blood, destroyed our security, and created terror and barbarism in the region.”
On the other hand, a source at the time of publishing this report has stated that the residents of Argo district in Badakhshan province have decided to hold a large-scale gathering today, Sunday, May 5, and read a resolution on this matter.
The source adds that the protests have been spontaneous and without the involvement of political figures. They say, “The resolution states that Pashtun Taliban must leave our area. They violate people’s privacy and harass them, and the Taliban appoint individuals in this district who understand the people’s language and respect their culture. The resolution also demands that the killers be handed over to the people.”
The source emphasizes that in the resolution, the residents of Argo have stated that under no circumstances will they accept these outsiders in their area, and if the Taliban disobey this demand, they will continue their protests.
Still, protesters in Darayim district have also sent a resolution to the Taliban, demanding the immediate departure of Pashtun Taliban from Badakhshan and, in general, from this district. They have asked the Taliban regime to publicly punish the fighters responsible for the killing in the village of Qarluq and remove the security commander of this group for Darayim.
Meanwhile, protesters have not engaged in dialogue with Taliban negotiators and have also not allowed them entry into their areas.
However, some political figures and former government officials have supported the people’s protests against the Taliban in Badakhshan. They have accused the Taliban of committing injustice and discrimination and stated that these protests are a hope for “liberation from the grip of extremism and tyranny” of the Taliban.
Rahmatullah Nabil, former head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS), has supported the anti-Taliban protests. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “The general uprising of the Afghan people can be a hope for liberation from the grip of extremism and tyranny of the Taliban. People who have tasted the bitter taste of oppression and darkness have now firmly resolved for liberation, and Badakhshan’s resistance has taken the lead in this struggle.”
Arif Rahmani, a former representative of the parliament, has stated: “No government has ever stood firm on bloodshed, invasion, and humiliation.” He wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) page that the protests by the residents of Darayim and Argo districts in Badakhshan province clearly demonstrate that the people are fed up with the “oppression, crimes, invasion, murder, looting, and humiliation” perpetrated by the Taliban. According to him, the Taliban’s tyranny has led people, despite severe repression by this group, to loudly express their disgust and hatred for the Taliban in the streets and boldly hold protest gatherings.
It is worth mentioning that protesters in Darayim and Argo districts have demanded the expulsion of Pashtun Taliban from their areas, as the Taliban, in an attempt to quell the protests, have deployed fresh fighters from Takhar and Kunduz provinces.
Local sources in Badakhshan confirm that hundreds of fresh fighters, equipped with advanced military gear and facilities, under the leadership of Abdul Karim, the deputy commander of the Taliban’s Omari Corps, have been sent to Badakhshan province.
Meanwhile, residents of Darayim and Argo claim that their protests against the Taliban are due to the disrespect and abuse of the people by the fighters of this group. According to them, people are not angered by the destruction of poppy fields but rather by the Taliban’s discriminatory and mocking behavior towards them.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
طعنه جنگجویان طالبان و ذوقزدهگی سیاستمداران؛ مردم در برابر تعرض بر «حریم خصوصی»شان اعتراض کردند