RASC News Agency: Local sources in Khost report that Taliban officers from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice have once again issued orders to male barbers in the province, forbidding them from trimming men’s beards. Sources confirmed on Monday, September 23, that the Taliban warned barbers they would face a fine of 10,000 kabuli rupees and a three-month imprisonment if they violated the directive.
In addition to financial penalties, the Taliban stressed that violators would have their barbershops closed for three days. This is not the first time such measures have been taken dozens of Khost residents have previously been imprisoned for trimming their beards. Since reclaiming power in Afghanistan, the Taliban have systematically stripped citizens of their fundamental rights. Following the enactment of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice’s policies, these restrictions have only intensified. The Afghanistani people are increasingly frustrated by the group’s hardline ideologies, yet the Taliban remain indifferent to the demands and aspirations of the population, relentlessly pursuing their own agenda.
The international community, led by the United States, which facilitated the Taliban’s rise to power as part of an intelligence project, has continued to turn a blind eye to the group’s oppressive cultural, gender, ethnic, and linguistic policies. Despite these actions, the U.S. provides the Taliban with $40 million in weekly funding, effectively enabling their agenda and paving the way for further initiatives.
