RASC News Agency: Local sources have shared videos with media outlets, revealing that since Sunday, December 15, the Taliban have begun demolishing shops in the “Jomhourayat” Market in Kabul City. Shopkeepers report that the Taliban initiated the destruction without prior notice, leaving the merchants caught off guard and unprepared. According to sources, the Taliban have so far demolished 120 of the 171 shops within the Republic Market. The group has yet to issue an official statement regarding the action.
The Republic Market, a historic commercial center in Kabul with over five decades of existence, consists of 171 shops. The destruction of these businesses has left the shopkeepers and their families facing uncertainty and financial hardship. Sources indicate that some Taliban officials have cited the market’s name “Jomhourayat” as the primary reason for its demolition. This follows recent statements by Taliban authorities in the Ministry of Information and Culture, suggesting plans to rename streets, roads, and markets that were named during the previous government. However, by completely demolishing this iconic market, the Taliban have made it clear that their intentions extend beyond renaming they aim to obliterate significant symbols of the past entirely.
Yet, no matter the scale of their destruction, the Taliban will be unable to erase the legacy of these names from the collective memory of the Afghanistani people. The name “Jomhourayat” and its historical significance will persist in the minds and hearts of the public, even as the physical structures are reduced to rubble.
