The Taliban’s Office of the Prime Minister has instructed the Ministry of Interior to issue weapons and armoured vehicles to employees and ombudsmen of the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, according to leaked documents.
The documents, published on the TalibLeaks website, reveal that the Taliban’s morality police in the capital and provinces will be granted permits to carry weapons and operate black-tinted armoured vehicles. The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice initially submitted the proposal to the Prime Minister’s Office on 2 May 2024, which was approved on 27 August and subsequently forwarded to the Ministry of Interior for implementation.
Following the directive, the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue instructed its departments in Kabul to compile and submit lists of their employees to the Ministry of Interior for weapon permit applications. Provincial offices were directed to liaise with local police headquarters to facilitate the issuance of permits for carrying weapons and black-tinted armoured vehicles.
A day after receiving the directive, the Ministry of Interior confirmed the request and instructed the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation to process the permits. According to the leaked documents, the Public Services Directorate of ministry of interior will distribute application forms and permits, and upon completion of legal procedures, weapons and vehicle permits will be officially issued.
Purpose of Arming Ombudsmen Remains Unclear
The Taliban government has not provided a clear explanation for why its morality police, who are considered civil agents, require access to weapons and armoured vehicles. However, the move suggests that these officials may require such equipment for self-protection or to enforce their directives.
Previously, Taliban officials had maintained that the morality police’s role was to implement the orders of the Taliban leader through “advice and persuasion.” The recent directive granting them access to weapons signals a shift towards a more forceful approach.
Issuing weapon and vehicle permits is among several new privileges granted to the enforcers of virtue, who serve as the ideological arm of the Taliban. In a separate directive, the Taliban’s Administrative Office instructed the Ministry of Public Health to provide medical treatment for ombudsmen at both civilian and military hospitals.
Conditions for Carrying Weapons in the Taliban’s Interior Ministry
A leaked document from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice outlines the conditions for obtaining weapon permits. According to the document, senior and mid-level Taliban officials will receive weapon permits free of charge. Officials and employees of other ministries may apply for weapon permits at a cost of 15,000 Afghanis for a three-year period, provided they undergo biometric registration and provide a guarantor. Official Taliban fighters, referred to as “mujahideen,” are entitled to obtain two weapons free of charge, provided they submit a departmental letter, complete biometric registration, and provide a guarantor.
Regarding black-tinted armoured vehicles, biometric registration and a guarantor are required for the responsible individual. However, Taliban officials are exempt from these requirements. Black-tinted vehicles will only be allocated to high-ranking officials within the group.
The Taliban leader has tightened oversight over the distribution of weapons, consolidating control over the process and removing it from the Ministries of Interior and Defence. As a result, the allocation of weapons among loyal Taliban personnel is expected to expand under the new directive.
