Taliban Says 19 Arrested Over Crimes in Five Provinces

The Taliban administration said police units tackling criminal offences have arrested 19 people in separate operations over various crimes in five provinces.

According to the Taliban administration, the arrests were made on allegations of timber smuggling, human trafficking and theft. Under the announcement, eight people were detained in Dara Pech district of Kunar province in connection with timber smuggling, using six vehicles.

The Taliban administration also claimed that four people were arrested in Nimroz province in connection with human trafficking, using four motorcycles. In Nangarhar province, four more people were detained on suspicion of stealing a motorcycle and several knives, the administration said.

According to the information released, two others were arrested in Khogyani district of Ghazni province on suspicion of stealing cash and gold, and one person was also detained in Herat province in connection with the theft of two vehicles.

Kunar, Nimroz, Nangarhar, Ghazni and Herat are among Afghanistan’s border and high-traffic provinces, areas where incidents linked to smuggling and organised crime are also reported in some cases.