Controversial Dismissals and Pressures at Herat Environmental Protection Office under Taliban Rule

Local sources in Herat report widespread concerns among employees of the provincial Environmental Protection Directorate, currently under Taliban administration, regarding extensive pressures exerted by the newly appointed head, Abdolaily Mutaqi. According to these sources, Mutaqi coerces staff into resigning under various pretexts to replace them with his affiliates. It has also been reported that approximately 100,000 Afghanis were collected in cash from companies within the Herat Industrial Park, but the whereabouts and use of these funds remain unclear.

According to the sources, one employee was banned from entering the office after verbally responding to insults from the new director and received instructions to guards to deny him reentry. The sources emphasize that several others have been dismissed for various reasons.

Among those reportedly dismissed are Engineer Farhat, a mines and greenery specialist; Engineer Taher, a sustainable development goals specialist; Hamidullah Amiri from the sustainable development department; and several other staff members. There are also claims that the director orders the administrative manager to prevent employees he dislikes from signing the attendance register or personally marks them as absent.

Abdolaily Mutaqi, the current head of the directorate, is identified as a resident of Gulran district in Herat. These developments come amid rising concerns over arbitrary interventions and a lack of transparency within Taliban-run structures, with employees demanding thorough investigations into these allegations.