RASC News Agency: Reports from Kabul reveal that the Taliban have escalated an aggressive campaign of door-to-door searches throughout the city, provoking deepening concerns among residents. Sources indicate that the Taliban launched these inspections in the early hours of Saturday, October 26, in the Breshnakot and Waselabad areas, where residents many originating from Panjshir province report encounters marked by hostility and intimidation.
For the past week, the Taliban have intensified these house-to-house searches, concentrating especially on districts such as Khair Khana and the 315 area of Kabul. This renewed clampdown follows a surge in attacks by armed opposition fronts against Taliban positions in the capital, according to sources familiar with the situation. Reports from Kabul earlier suggested that the Taliban had resumed such raids after a temporary suspension, during which residents were subjected to harassment and coercion.
Nasir Ahmad Ahmadi, head of the Taliban’s eleventh police district in Kabul, confirmed that searches have expanded into Kabul’s fourth, eleventh, and seventeenth districts, allegedly targeting individuals suspected of ISIS affiliations, resistance connections, or criminal activity. These sweeping inspections are part of a larger campaign the Taliban have deployed across Kabul and other urban centers, frequently executing searches without warrants. Homeowners and their families report frequent intimidation during these incursions, with Taliban forces often entering properties under vague pretenses, ostensibly seeking contraband or evidence of dissent.
Eyewitness accounts reveal that Panjshir residents are being disproportionately targeted in these operations, their homes subjected to unannounced inspections, with occupants coerced to surrender any weapons. Numerous individuals have reportedly been detained without formal charges, amid accusations of torture and mistreatment in Taliban custody. In a recent statement, the Taliban disclosed that over sixteen thousand Afghanistani citizens are now held in their prisons. The statement claims hundreds of detainees face punishments, including amputations, torture, and sentences ranging from moderate to lengthy terms. Sources assert that a substantial number of these detainees were arrested without due process, lacking any basis for criminal culpability.
