On Wednesday, several women belonging to the families of members of the previous government’s security forces protested against their forced expulsion from their homes by the Taliban, in Herat city.
Residents living in the "Ghond 11" residential area said that the Taliban wants to take over their houses by "harassing and imprisoning" the residents.
The Taliban dispersed the protestors who had gathered in front of the Herat province governor’s building with aerial shooting.
The protestors are family members of the soldiers from the previous Afghan government, who have lived in Ghond 11 government-owned lands since "the last 40-50 years" and built houses and welfare facilities at their own expense.
A source close to the protestors told Afghanistan International that Mullah Yaqoob, the Taliban's defence minister, had previously promised that these families would not be evicted from their homes in the area which is owned by the Ministry of Defence.
One of the protestors accused the Taliban military officials in Herat of imprisoning "his father and four other retired officers" to put pressure on the families.
A source told Afghanistan International, "They have built a private prison at the headquarters of the Army Corps [Herat] facility. They imprison people without a court order to force them to evict the area."
Based on the document received by Afghanistan International, which has been signed by the Taliban’s defence minister, the "Directorate of Construction and Property Affairs of the Ministry of Defence" of the Taliban said that the houses have been built by the order of the Ministry of Defence, at the personal expense of the residents. This Directorate has denied the usurpation of the properties.
In one of these documents, it has been stated that the officers who renovated their houses at their own expense and are no longer working in the Ministry of Defence or have retired can stay in these houses until further notice.
The protesters added that the Taliban have "whipped and imprisoned the men of the families who are protesting against the forceful eviction from their homes”. Also, they said that the Taliban forcefully entered their houses and threw out their belongings on the street.
It seems that the pressure on these families started last year. In one of the video clips that was published on social media on June 2022, a resident of Ghond 11 area of Herat said that the Taliban evicted some families from their homes and told them that these homes will be handed over to their forces.
