Sources in Darulaman, western Kabul, told Afghanistan International that Taliban Minister of Justice has detained at least 38 local residents after they buried a neighbour in a cemetery near the ministry compound.
According to local sources in the Afsar area of Darulaman, residents buried one of their neighbours on Wednesday, 10 December, in a cemetery located close to the Ministry of Justice. After the burial, armed officers from the ministry reportedly ordered residents to exhume the body and move it to another location.
The incident comes amid growing controversy surrounding the conduct of the Taliban’s minister of justice. Even Taliban officials have privately acknowledged that the minister acts outside established legal frameworks and is not accountable to any authority, according to sources.
The ministry had previously warned residents against burying their dead in the cemetery, claiming it falls within a designated green zone. Local residents dispute this, saying the cemetery has been used by the community for decades. They say the Taliban has now ordered graves to be exhumed and remains relocated.
Sources say the residents most of whom are Shia protested on Wednesday after Taliban officials halted the burial. Taliban officers subsequently detained at least 38 people, including the local mosque’s imam and a community elder.
Videos obtained by Afghanistan International show dozens of residents marching along Darulaman Road in protest.
A local resident said that three days after the arrests, there was still no information about the detainees’ whereabouts or condition. He said residents contacted Police District 6 and other Taliban authorities but received no response.
Residents also say the Ministry of Justice has declared the land of their neighbourhood mosque to be “Emirati” property. Locals insist the mosque land was donated by a community member and has a valid Sharia-compliant title deed.
According to sources, the actions are being carried out on the direct orders of the Taliban’s justice minister. Residents allege the minister is attempting to force them out of the area through intimidation and pressure.
Broader Land Disputes in Southwest Kabul
The latest incident follows earlier allegations involving land seizures in the Darulaman area. On 19 November, residents of the Sanatorium neighbourhood said Abdul Hakim Sharayi, the Taliban’s minister of justice, forcibly evicted families from their homes and transferred the properties to relatives and associates.
The minister reportedly resides in the Darulaman Sanatorium area. Sources said armed men loyal to him expelled women and children from their homes, forcing them into displacement.
Taliban authorities have not publicly responded to the allegations.
