RASC News Agency: A recently leaked document has exposed the Taliban’s massive financial gains from Afghanistan’s telecommunications industry, revealing that the group collects billions of kabuli rupees annually from telecom operators. According to classified records from the Afghanistan Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ATRA), major telecom providers are obligated to pay substantial sums to the Taliban-controlled administration. Among them, MTN Afghanistan reportedly transferred 4.73 billion kabuli rupees to the group in 2023 alone. The documents indicate a steady rise in Taliban revenues from the telecom sector. In 2022, MTN Afghanistan paid approximately 1.215 billion rupees in sales tax and an additional 36.7 million rupees in income tax. The company’s gross revenue for 2023 amounted to 13.38 billion kabuli rupees, of which 4.73 billion kabuli rupees were appropriated by the Taliban.
The leaked records further reveal that Etisalat Afghanistan, another major telecom provider, contributed over 4 billion kabuli rupees to the Taliban within the same year. However, comprehensive figures detailing the total revenue collected from all telecom operators remain undisclosed. Beyond telecommunications, the documents expose additional lucrative Taliban revenue streams, including electricity taxes and levies imposed on vehicle owners.
These revelations, disclosed by a hacking group, also shed light on internal rifts within the Taliban leadership over revenue distribution. The records suggest intensifying power struggles among senior Taliban figures, with frequent disputes regarding tax collection, financial control, and the allocation of resources.
