Taliban Intelligence Summons and Threatens Ethnic Elders
According to credible sources, the Taliban administration in Dara-e-Suf Bala district of Samangan and in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province, has summoned dozens of influential ethnic figures, warning them to either hand over two weapons or pay the equivalent in cash. The move was carried out by Taliban intelligence based on a list compiled with the help of local informants.
Citing Independent Persian, some of those summoned who could not afford the demanded payment were arrested and tortured by the Taliban. Others were forced to flee the country to save their lives, seeking refuge in places such as Iran.
Sources close to the matter say the pressure has not been limited to the intelligence service. Taliban security units and corps commanders have also been actively tightening the grip on residents and former government employees. Ethnic elders and former security personnel have been repeatedly threatened and ordered to surrender weapons or provide money.
Evidence indicates that Taliban commanders have in some cases detained individuals not in official facilities but in private and unofficial prisons to avoid oversight by responsible institutions. This practice has raised serious concerns over widespread human rights violations and the use of torture as a means of coercion against civilians.
