RASC News Agency: Reports of corruption and extortion within Taliban-controlled institutions have surged in recent days, with individuals alleging widespread bribery by officials. In the latest incident, the Head of Human Resources for the Taliban in Faryab has been accused of demanding a 30,000 kabuli rupees bribe in exchange for issuing an official clearance form. Sources from Faryab province confirm that Nik Mohammad Hanafi, the Taliban’s HR Director and Head of the Military Ranks Purification Commission, coerced one of his subordinates into paying 30,000 kabuli rupees in return for a “rank clearance form” an essential document for Taliban personnel.
A leaked audio recording further exposes Hanafi’s direct involvement in bribery. In the recording, he is heard explicitly soliciting a bribe from a Taliban member a local from Faryab who was seeking employment within a Taliban-run office. Hanafi instructs the individual to pay 30,000 kabuli rupees in exchange for the required document. Additionally, sources reveal that Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, had previously issued a decree instructing Taliban members to refrain from engaging in polygamy, labeling it financially burdensome and unnecessary. However, in a brazen violation of this directive, Nik Mohammad Hanafi recently married a fourth wife a 14-year-old girl paying a dowry of 2 million Kabuli rupees.
Despite Akhundzada’s official prohibition on multiple marriages, Taliban officials particularly those in positions of power have continued to disregard this ruling. Reports suggest that many lower-ranking members of the group also persist in the practice. The Taliban leadership has remained silent on these allegations and has yet to issue an official statement addressing the claims.
