Afghan Witness Reports

Images show the Taliban’s destruction of murals representing religious or national figures conflicting with official values.

Local residents of Kargian village protested the Taliban's destruction of poppy fields, leading to reported gunfire and injuries.

Claims emerge in the media that the Taliban has allowed the operation of certain girls' schools, which the Taliban later denies.

The Taliban's decree to cap female salaries has caused widespread confusion and sparked protests among women employees.

The Taliban's decision to delay Eid-ul-Adha in 2024 sparked widespread defiance and criticism from Afghan communities and leaders.

Calls for armed resistance against the Taliban at a conference of Shia Afghans in Germany were largely met with reticence from Shias both in Afghanistan and abroad.

The harrowing video of a young Afghan man being tortured by a Taliban commander sparked global outrage.

In September 2023, the Taliban announced that they had signed more than $6.5 billion in new mining deals. Afghan Witness delves into the sector dubbed the Taliban’s “cash cow”.

At the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Moscow and the Taliban signalled closer ties, while Russian involvement in a railroad project in Herat underscores strengthening relations.

The recent usage of AI-generated videos to claim ISKP attacks has stirred controversy within pro-IS communities over the religious permissibility of AI technology. Despite increased accessibility to AI tools for propaganda, the isolated efforts and mixed reception suggest AI use in extremist content may remain limited.

ISKP has stepped up its attacks on Taliban officials, recently killing Mullah Hassan in Ghor province and expanding its operations across Afghanistan. The group's increasing activity from Kabul to Herat and Kandahar highlights a growing challenge for the Taliban's efforts to control them.

On May 17, 2024, reports of a drone strike targeting the Taliban in Logar province surfaced on social media, leading to widespread speculation and conflicting accounts about the incident. Despite official denials of an attack by Taliban authorities, the claim continued to be spread, both by legitimate accounts and by bots.