RASC News Agency: Reports from Panjshir reveal that Taliban fighters stationed in the province have begun deforesting local woodlands to secure firewood as temperatures plummet. According to sources, Taliban outposts located in the mountains are not adequately supplied with fuel for heating, prompting the militants to cut down trees to survive the winter. A local informant noted that the Taliban stationed in these remote outposts rely on mountain forests to sustain themselves during the cold season. Similar activities were reported last year when Taliban fighters resorted to deforestation in several areas to warm their bases.
Residents of Panjshir, known for their commitment to preserving the region’s greenery and pastures, typically avoid cutting down forests. However, the province’s mountainous terrain is sparsely forested, making the Taliban’s actions particularly destructive to the environment. The Taliban’s presence in Panjshir is substantial, with sources indicating that the group has established as many as three security checkpoints in each village, solidifying their control over the region. Taliban fighters in Panjshir operate under the command of the “Special Brigade,” a unit reportedly funded directly by the Taliban’s leadership in Kandahar. Over the past three years, the Taliban have subjected the people of Panjshir to unrelenting oppression. Being a Panjshiri, it appears, is treated as a de facto crime by the Taliban, who have arbitrarily arrested, tortured, and imprisoned more than 14,000 young men from the province without any formal charges or judicial process.
The Taliban’s draconian measures have extended to farmers and herders, prohibiting them from accessing their lands and grazing areas. The militants have been accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings, targeting individuals they find objectionable. Reports indicate that these executions are often documented in photographs and videos, which are then circulated as tools of intimidation and psychological warfare against the population.
