The Taliban have arrested another prominent cleric in Kabul, continuing a wave of detentions targeting religious scholars who have expressed dissent against the group’s leadership.
On Sunday, Qari Sirajuddin, an imam at a mosque in Kabul and a close associate of detained scholar Mawlawi Abdul Qadir Qanit, was arrested in the Qala-e-Fathullah area of the capital. His family confirmed the arrest and said they have no information about his current whereabouts.
The reason for Sirajuddin’s detention remains unclear. However, his arrest comes shortly after that of Qanit, a well-known religious scholar and vocal critic of the Taliban, who was taken into custody last week. Sirajuddin is known to have been a close confidant of Qanit.
Recently, Qari Sirajuddin delivered a statement at a clerics’ conference in Kabul that was openly critical of the Taliban. In it, religious scholars urged the group to form an inclusive government, reject monopolistic governance, and avoid unilateral decision-making.
A number of clerics who had previously supported the Taliban have begun to express concerns about the group’s centralisation of power and perceived tribalism in its leadership structure.
In addition to Sirajuddin and Qanit, the Taliban’s intelligence agency has also detained another religious figure in recent days. Mawlawi Bashir Ahmad Hanafi was arrested in Helmand province. All three clerics are reportedly being held in Taliban-run prisons.
The Taliban have not issued any public statements regarding the arrests.
