Taliban bans kite sales and flying in Herat

The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat has announced that buying and selling kite-flying equipment, as well as flying kites, has been banned in the province, a move that directly targets a common urban pastime.

Azizurrahman Muhajir, the head of the department in Herat, said the ban was imposed following “repeated requests from citizens” and that enforcers had been instructed to stop the sale of kites and kite string in the city.

According to him, the decision was taken after successive complaints and requests from the public, and kite flying and the use of kite string had, in some cases, caused traffic accidents, nuisance to citizens and injuries to children.

The Taliban had also banned kite flying during its first period in power in Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001. Over the past five years, the group has imposed sweeping restrictions on a number of local and traditional games and entertainments, and in cases such as firecrackers and kites, it has justified the bans on grounds related to “safety.”