RASC News Agency: Several residents of districts in Ghor province in western Afghanistan confirm that Taliban members have compelled them to pay tithes and alms to Taliban forces during the month of Ramadan.
An individual from Lal Wa Sarjangal district in Ghor province, speaking on the condition of anonymity to RASC News Agency on Saturday, April 13th, stated that Taliban members have issued warnings at several stages to collect tithes and alms from residents. They insisted that all people must pay their tithes and alms to Taliban forces. The source added that the Taliban are primarily seeking opportunities to enrich themselves at the expense of the people and alleviate their hunger. The source further noted that many local residents are unable to afford to feed their families. According to the source, paying tithes and alms to the Taliban is deemed the best course of action to ensure one’s safety, while failure to do so may result in one facing their own demise.
Similarly, another resident from Teorah district in Ghor province informed RASC News Agency that Taliban members are collecting sums ranging from 50 to 1,000 kabuli rupees from every household and telling people that cooperating with the Taliban will bring blessings to their homes. He stated that this process signifies a form of extortion from the people, under various pretexts, to pay money to the Taliban. The source also suggested that high-ranking Taliban officials might not be aware of these activities, and lower-level operatives are engaging in extortion tactics independently.
Meanwhile, a credible source in Ghor province informed RASC News Agency that Taliban forces are currently receiving monthly salaries but are engaging in extortion and blackmailing ordinary people in various areas of the province. The source added that the Taliban should be focusing on serving and assisting the people, but instead, they are eliciting curses and complaints from the populace towards themselves.
However, Abdul Hakim Ghulami, a civil activist in Ghor province, told RASC News Agency that crimes against the people of Afghanistan are rampant, and compared to those, incidents like these are relatively minor. He expressed that in this situation, the only course of action is to rebuild and work towards a better tomorrow. He added that over the past two decades, many calls have been made to combat corruption, alleviate oppression, revive the economy, among other issues, but no viable solution has been presented to address the suffering.
Taliban authorities in Ghor province have remained silent on this matter. Prior to the Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan, numerous reports surfaced about the group extorting people for tithes and alms to sustain their livelihoods, and this trend continues among the populace.
