Taliban Detain Dozens Of Women In Herat Hijab Crackdown

According to the ministry, those detained were accused of a wide range of offences, from petty crimes to organised criminal activity.

Armed robberies, theft of gold, mobile phones and cash, as well as the theft of cars, motorcycles and rickshaws, were among the most frequently reported offences.

In one case, the Taliban said it arrested 22 people on 12 May in connection with armed robberies in the provinces of Balkh, Jowzjan, Nimroz and Ghor.

The ministry has also reported numerous cases of livestock theft, including cattle and sheep, particularly in rural and remote areas where many families rely on animal husbandry for their livelihoods.

Authorities have further reported an increase in weapons smuggling and the illegal possession of firearms in Kunduz, Khost, Helmand and Paktia provinces. Taliban officials have also announced arrests linked to currency smuggling in border regions and along major transport routes.

Organised crime has also become increasingly prominent. Taliban authorities claim to have dismantled several armed criminal networks in recent weeks.

In one incident, the Interior Ministry said five people were arrested on 13 May in connection with the kidnapping of a businessman in Kabul. According to the ministry, the alleged leader of the kidnapping gang was killed during a clash with Taliban forces.

A significant proportion of the arrests reported over the past month were linked to the production, sale and trafficking of narcotics.

Taliban statements referred to cannabis trafficking, drug-processing facilities and the smuggling of synthetic drugs.

On 10 May, authorities said 18 people were arrested for allegedly operating a drug-processing factory in Ghor province.

In a separate case, a suspect was arrested in Nimroz province for allegedly smuggling a large quantity of a synthetic drug known locally as “Tablet K”.

Several cases involving gambling and individuals accused of running away from home have also been referred to Taliban judicial authorities.

Most recently, the Taliban announced the arrest of 21 people on gambling-related charges, although the Interior Ministry did not specify the nature of the alleged activities.

The Taliban has previously banned a range of leisure activities and games, including card games.

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban has portrayed itself as a guarantor of security through strict enforcement, harsh punishments and public penalties.

However, the scale of criminal cases and the high number of arrests suggest that significant security challenges persist across Afghan society.

One Kabul resident told Afghanistan International: “In the early months everyone was afraid, but now criminals have largely lost their fear of the Taliban. Thefts happen in broad daylight and it seems the Taliban has lost control in some areas.”

As crime has increased, the Taliban has once again resorted to severe and often violent punishments.

The situation in Herat has been described as particularly concerning. According to official figures, nearly 900 people were arrested on theft-related charges in the province during the past six months alone.

In response, Taliban forces recently shot dead two men accused of theft in public in Herat city. Images showing their bloodied bodies displayed on the back of a police vehicle circulated on social media, prompting widespread criticism and concern.

Analysts argue that rising crime in Afghanistan is being driven not only by security challenges but also by the country’s worsening economic crisis, widespread poverty and growing unemployment.

Some observers have also alleged that individual Taliban members may be involved in certain criminal incidents.

They argue that measures such as night patrols, checkpoints and even harsh punishments are unlikely to have a lasting impact unless the underlying economic causes of crime are addressed.

Provincial data indicate that the highest numbers of arrests and reported crimes were recorded in Herat, Kabul and Balkh provinces, which observers view as a sign of mounting economic and social pressures in Afghanistan’s major urban centres.

Meanwhile, according to the latest United Nations estimates, around 28 million people in Afghanistan are living in severe poverty and require international assistance.

The Taliban embassy in Moscow said the meetings took place on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The 29th edition of the forum was held over three days from June 3 - 5.

Hasan Gul Hasan, Taliban’s ambassador in Moscow, and Ahmadullah Wasiq, head of the Taliban’s Olympic, Physical Education and Sports Directorate, attended the event.

According to the Taliban embassy, discussions focused on expanding bilateral economic and commercial relations, increasing opportunities for Afghan traders and supporting Afghan students studying in Russia.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is Russia’s leading annual economic conference and has been held since 1997. This year’s gathering brought together representatives from more than 130 countries.

Russia remains the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban administration.

The two officials warned on Friday that around 25 militant groups are currently operating in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, posing a threat to stability across the wider region.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Tajikistan’s Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda said that terrorist training centres and drug-trafficking networks in Afghanistan remain major regional security concerns.

Unlike some other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, both Pakistan and Tajikistan maintain relatively strained relations with the Taliban and have repeatedly accused the group of allowing militant organisations to operate from Afghan territory.

Islamabad has frequently accused the Taliban of providing safe havens for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters. Pakistani officials argue that terrorist attacks in the country have risen sharply since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. They accuse the Taliban of supporting militants and facilitating attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban rejects these allegations and insists that Pakistan’s security challenges are an internal matter.

Tajikistan, meanwhile, has been among the Taliban’s most vocal regional critics since the group’s return to power. Dushanbe has consistently expressed concern about the activities of Jamaat Ansarullah, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and cross-border narcotics trafficking.

Tajik authorities remain particularly concerned about the presence of Jamaat Ansarullah in northern Afghanistan near the Tajik border. The group is believed to seek the overthrow of President Emomali Rahmon’s secular government.

At the same time, concerns persist over ISKP’s activities and its ability to recruit Tajik nationals for regional terrorist operations. Tajikistan has also repeatedly raised alarm over armed drug-trafficking networks crossing the Amu Darya border river and the ongoing clashes between Tajik border guards and smuggling groups operating in the area.

The minister was placed under EU sanctions both for denying girls access to education above grade six and for human rights violations. The European Union is due to host a Taliban delegation in Brussels before the end of the summer.

According to the report, the Brussels talks will be held at a technical level and will centre on facilitating the deportation of Afghan nationals who are deemed a security threat or who have been convicted of criminal offences.

Euractiv noted that the invitation comes only months after the EU's External Action Service condemned the Taliban's systematic violation of the rights of women and girls. The outlet recalled that the European Union had previously warned that these abuses against women in Afghanistan may amount to gender persecution.

The outlet spoke to an Afghan citizen who runs a network of two thousand people teaching Afghan girls in secret, in person, across thirty locations in Afghanistan. He told Euractiv that the EU's decision to formally receive a Taliban delegation was deeply disheartening to him.

At the same time, Hannah Neumann, a Greens member of the European Parliament, criticised the invitation in an interview with Euractiv, saying that countries which sacrifice the principles of their foreign policy for deportation deals lose both their credibility and their security. She said the decision had been taken while millions of Afghan girls remained barred from education, yet Taliban representatives were able to travel to Europe.

Neumann warned that the consequences of the decision would not be confined to Afghanistan. In her view, if Europe showed that it could be easily pressured, authoritarian governments would draw their own conclusions from it.

Sources in Spin Boldak district and people who have travelled to Pakistan through unofficial routes told Afghanistan International that they were forced to turn to people smuggling networks and pay large sums of money to cross the border.

One person who travelled this route said: “I paid a smuggler 130,000 Pakistani rupees to take me to Chaman. The money does not go to just one person; it is distributed among various individuals along the route, including Taliban members.”

He claimed that smuggling networks could not operate without the cooperation of some local officials and influential figures on both sides of the border.

Neither the Taliban nor Pakistani authorities have commented on allegations of people smuggling along the Afghanistan-Pakistan route.

The Taliban officially opposes people smuggling and occasionally returns people from border areas, but unofficial crossings continue.

Another source said: “Ordinary travellers face strict restrictions, but smugglers have their own channels. By paying money, people can even be moved through regular routes and no one is held accountable.”

The continued closure of border crossings and other restrictions have directly affected the lives of thousands of families. Many residents of Spin Boldak, Chaman and surrounding areas maintain business, medical and family ties across the border.

Local residents say restrictions on legal travel have left thousands of workers unemployed and separated many families.

One tribal elder said: “Ordinary people are suffering the most from this situation. Now both the Taliban and the Pakistani side are benefiting from people smuggling.”

Following border clashes between Taliban and Pakistani forces, Islamabad closed the Torkham and Chaman border crossings on 12 October 2025.