RASC News Agency: Local sources from Herat province in western Afghanistan verify that over a dozen motorcycle owners in the region find themselves involved in the Taliban group’s traffic management for specific reasons. A confidential source, granted anonymity, informed a RASC reporter on the 29th of December that “the motorcycles currently under the Taliban’s traffic management in this province include some lacking legal documents, while others belong to individuals without the financial means for a motorcycle license.” He adds, “Taliban members, as per public reports, utilize well-maintained motorcycles for personal use or sell them.”
The source elaborates that individuals bringing their vehicles to the Taliban’s traffic management are subjected to peculiar and unconventional questions, leading to delays in their proceedings, extending from today to tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Meanwhile, Binam Rasouli, a resident of Herat province, conveyed to RASC’s news agency that certain motorcycles without documents or those stolen are within the Taliban’s traffic management in this province. He asserts that most of these motorcycles are stopped during Taliban inspections, and if lacking legal documents, they are redirected to traffic management. He emphasizes that through this action, the Taliban has curtailed the activities of many vehicle thieves in the city and districts of Herat province, often carrying out such interventions themselves.
On the other hand, Rostam Azimi, an informed individual in the western Afghanistan region, informed RASC that during the Republic era, a majority of motorcycle thefts occurred in the city. He explains that many thieves dispatched stolen motorcycles to neighboring provinces and distant districts, reaping substantial profits. Azimi adds that this process continues, albeit at a reduced rate compared to the Ashraf Ghani government’s time.
It is noteworthy that, according to reports from security institutions, the Taliban in Herat province apprehend between two to seven individuals daily for various crimes, and their cases are forwarded to Taliban courts. It is alleged that some motorcycles under the Taliban’s traffic management in Herat province are clandestinely retrieved at night by group members and sold for a nominal price in remote villages.
