Taliban commanders in Kandahar province forcibly took control of ten private transportation companies, according to documents reviewed by Afghanistan International.
These private companies have been active in the transportation business across various provinces of Afghanistan.
The owners of these companies in a complaint letter to the Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Hasan Akhund have stated that their companies had been taken over by Taliban commanders and hundreds of people will lose their jobs.
Mullah Hamidullah Akhundzada, the Acting Minister of Transportation and Aviation of the Taliban, has asked the governor of Kandahar to return the companies to their rightful owners.
However, the owner of a company who spoke to Afghanistan International, accused the Taliban’s Acting Minister of Transportation and Aviation of double standards and claimed that the minister has not been cooperating with the owners. He claimed that the Taliban's transportation minister might probably benefit financially from this takeover.
In a video clip obtained by Afghanistan International, it can be seen that the Taliban members are taking over the companies and forging the official documents.
These private companies had been operating in Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar-i-Sharif, Nangarhar and Khost cities.