RASC News Agency: Numerous residents of Herat province in western Afghanistan confirm that Taliban officials and municipal employees in this province extort money from homeowners in urban areas under various pretexts.
A source in Herat province, speaking on condition of anonymity to the RASC news agency on Tuesday, April 16, stated: “Taliban officials and municipal employees in this province extort money from homeowners under the pretext that their buildings lack proper construction standards and fail to meet municipal regulations. If the requested money is not paid by homeowners, they will face a myriad of criminal charges.”
The source continues, stating that the amounts demanded from homeowners in urban areas of Herat province range from $500 to $5,000. Many residents of Herat province had to pay these amounts, whether less or more, to Taliban individuals in the municipal office of Herat province due to the status of their homes being either under construction or completed. According to the source, the Taliban have found various ways to demand excessive amounts of money and are slowly implementing all of these methods.
Meanwhile, another source in Herat province confirmed that the Taliban extort money from people under the pretext of legalizing the overall administrative system of their government offices, and people are compelled to pay the mentioned amounts. The source added that the Taliban have imposed heavy fines for the reconstruction of three or more houses, which must be paid to them in an illegal manner, not through legal channels. Furthermore, the source emphasizes that this situation goes against human and Islamic values that the Taliban impose on the people.
However, Mohammad Ghafoori, a civil activist in Herat province, told the RASC news agency: “If bribery or extortion took place during the republic’s rule, it was evident, but now, under the Taliban’s rule, this system is within their framework, and the specified amounts must be paid in any field.” He adds: “Although in Herat province, there are not as many multi-story buildings as in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif, the Taliban still resort to extortion and forcefully take money from the people.”
Despite our extensive efforts, we could not obtain comments from the municipal administration of the Taliban group in Herat province. It is worth mentioning that areas such as 64-meter Street, Mahtab Road, 30-meter Street, Bagh-e Azadi Street, and other areas in Herat province are mentioned as places where many multi-story buildings have been constructed, ranging from three to fourteen floors.
