Residents of Majburabad Jalalabad Complain of Forced Evictions by Taliban-affiliated Armed Groups

Residents of Majburabad district in Jalalabad’s fourth zone have reported being forcibly evicted from their homes by armed individuals affiliated with Shahabuddin Dilawar, head of the Taliban’s Red Crescent Society. The residents claim they possess valid religious deeds and official court rulings that recognize their ownership. According to these residents, many families have lived on these lands for over four decades. However, their deeds are now being invalidated by Taliban-affiliated groups on the grounds that the lands were distributed during the communist regime. The residents emphasize that these documents have also been certified by the municipality.

Some residents reported that during the dispute, Taliban forces beat several locals and even imprisoned some. One resident stated that armed men raided a mosque, forcibly took people’s fingerprints, and warned them to vacate their homes within five days.

The Majburabad residents say that Taliban judicial authorities in Nangarhar had previously ruled in their favor in this dispute, yet neither the court rulings nor the religious deeds are being respected. Instead, force is replacing the rule of law.

In response to these circumstances, the residents held a protest march on Friday, December 26, demanding an end to the forced evictions. They say that about one hundred houses have been built in the area and dozens of families now face the risk of homelessness.

Local elders added that they even traveled to Kandahar and received assurances from the Taliban leader’s office that holding valid religious deeds would protect them from eviction. However, these promises have been ignored in practice.

So far, Shahabuddin Dilawar and Taliban spokespeople have not responded to these allegations. The residents of Majburabad are calling on the Taliban administration to listen to their voices and to prevent the use of force and violations of property rights based on principles of Islamic justice and rule of law.