RASC News Agency: A growing number of employees within the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense have raised alarm over what they describe as systematic and unlawful dismissals, targeting civil and military staff without adherence to legal procedures or regard for experience, merit, or institutional integrity. According to internal sources, a group of recently dismissed employees has submitted a protest letter condemning what they call a sweeping and unregulated purge. They report that a significant portion of ministry personnel both formally and informally have been relieved of their duties without due process, transparency, or justification.
The letter states that approximately 20 percent of employees were forced out following a drastic restructuring plan. An additional segment of staff, reportedly nearly half of the remaining workforce, were removed via verbal directives from Taliban superiors, bypassing any written notices or procedural review. Such actions, the employees argue, violate principles of administrative justice and are driven by ideological discrimination rather than organizational necessity. Compounding the controversy is a pattern of blatant favoritism in post-dismissal compensation. Sources indicate that Taliban-affiliated personnel continue to receive monthly stipends amounting to 5,000 Kabuli rupees even after being dismissed. Meanwhile, non-Taliban employees are left without any form of severance, financial support, or acknowledgment, regardless of years of service or qualifications. The protest letter condemns this as “institutionalized inequality” and a flagrant breach of fair employment practices.
These mass dismissals mark yet another reversal of the Taliban’s earlier promises. Upon seizing power in August 2021, Taliban leaders publicly urged former civil servants and technocrats to return to work, pledging that their professional expertise would be valued and protected. However, the reality has proven starkly different: skilled personnel from the former republic are being systematically removed and replaced with ideologically loyal but often unqualified individuals. In response to public criticism, Taliban officials have blamed the dismissals on declining international aid, claiming budget cuts as the reason for downsizing. But analysts argue that this narrative is disingenuous. According to several observers, the real objective is to eliminate former government professionals and entrench Taliban loyalists across all sectors of governance, especially in sensitive institutions such as defense, security, and intelligence.
This aligns with previous statements by the Taliban’s intelligence chief, who proudly announced last year that the intelligence apparatus had been “cleansed” of all elements affiliated with the former regime. The recent wave of dismissals suggests that this ideological purge is now expanding into other critical ministries. The targeted employees are now calling for the immediate cessation of these illegal and arbitrary terminations. They demand equal rights for all employees, regardless of their past political affiliations, and urge the regime to uphold the principles of merit, fairness, and administrative legality.
However, for most observers, such appeals are unlikely to be heeded. The Taliban’s governance model characterized by secrecy, exclusion, and ideological rigidity has shown little tolerance for professional standards or institutional autonomy. The current pattern of dismissals reflects a regime more concerned with consolidating authoritarian control than building a functioning state. As Afghanistan’s administrative institutions continue to be hollowed out and militarized under Taliban command, the consequences are dire: public trust is eroding, national capacity is deteriorating, and the future of effective governance grows increasingly bleak.
