RASC News Agency: Several travelers along the Herat-Ghor highway route have reported that Taliban forces at their inspection checkpoints board passenger vehicles and engage Persian-speaking individuals in undesirable behavior. One traveler along the Herat-Ghor highway route, speaking on condition of anonymity to a journalist from RASC News Agency on Friday, January 26, stated that numerous Taliban inspection checkpoints along this route have subjected travelers to countless unwarranted inquiries, causing considerable anxiety.
He remarked that when Taliban personnel board passenger vehicles, fear permeates every traveler, indicative of a pervasive sense of dread among the populace. Additionally, another traveler on passenger vehicles along the Herat-Kabul route, who preferred not to disclose his identity in the report, informed a RASC journalist that Taliban personnel maintain over 10 inspection points where they confront some travelers with intimidating questions upon entering large passenger vehicles. He added, “Taliban forces, most of whom are less than 20 years old, address elderly Pashto-speaking men, asking them where they are heading. When the elderly respond in Persian that they are traveling from Herat to Kabul, the Taliban child screams, questioning why Pashto isn’t spoken. They threaten that if Pashto isn’t spoken, their lives will be ruined.”
Furthermore, he emphasized that most travelers along the Herat-Kabul route belong to the economically disadvantaged segments of society, unable to afford air tickets to avoid the stress and strain caused by Taliban personnel. He suggested that if airfare prices were affordable, individuals would not resort to ground travel via passenger vehicles. According to reports from domestic and international media outlets, the Herat-Ghor and Ghor-Kabul highways constitute lengthy routes where many Hazaras, Tajiks, and Uzbeks have lost their lives to unknown individuals and “terrorist groups” such as the Taliban during the Ghani administration.
It can be argued that many residents of Lal wa Sar-e-Jangal district in Ghor province have been besieged by Taliban forces, their fate still uncertain within Afghanistan. However, Morteza Armaghan, an informed figure in Ghor province, told RASC News Agency, “Apparently, Taliban individuals, as is evident, lack the demeanor of ordinary individuals.” He added, “Why many Afghanistanis left their country and handed over Afghanistan to such individuals remains a demand for a lack of equal thinking towards members of this group.”
Moreover, he added, “The discrimination and empty-mindedness of the Taliban have leveled all hopes of society with the same ashes and destroyed opportunities for individuals aspiring to progress and prosperity in Afghanistan.” Meanwhile, Mehrab Habibi, a civil activist in western Afghanistan, affirmed that problems exist along the highways of Afghanistan, and the Taliban have increased fascist pressures on the people. He said, “Non-Pashtun ethnic groups are also present in Afghanistan, and Taliban individuals should not engage in discriminatory treatment towards their fellow countrymen, tightening the space for other segments of society day by day.”
This is happening while Taliban authorities have repeatedly reported favorable conditions along the highways of Afghanistan in the media. It is noteworthy that the disorderly conduct of Taliban individuals on the highways of various provinces of Afghanistan has introduced numerous challenges for many travelers, including children and women.
