Taliban Official Claims Preventing Forced Marriages, Warns of Western ‘Interference’
Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s Minister for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, accused Western countries of trying to undermine Afghanistan’s ruling structure during a conference in Kabul titled ‘Upholding Virtues and Eliminating Vices.’ He called on Afghans to unite against what he described as ‘foreign interference.’
Hanafi claimed that his ministry has prevented nearly 10,000 forced marriages and addressed 40,000 cases of domestic violence. However, no independent documents or statistics were provided to verify these assertions.
He added that the Afghan people would no longer be deceived and should stand like a ‘wall and stronghold’ against external threats. Observers say such statements mostly serve a propaganda purpose and are far removed from the realities faced by a society suffering under severe Taliban restrictions.
Also present at the event was Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Taliban government’s Deputy Chief Minister for Administrative Affairs. He claimed the Taliban had managed to prevent the country’s fragmentation and had improved security in various regions compared to the past. He painted a bleak picture of former times, stating that citizens once needed dozens of identification documents to travel between provinces.
According to the Taliban authorities, the event—which included Taliban officials and some local representatives—was aimed at strengthening coordination between the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the people of the capital.
Participants largely emphasized the strict implementation of Islamic Sharia law, a policy that has faced widespread criticism both domestically and internationally for severely restricting civil liberties, particularly women’s rights.
