Afghanistan International: Local sources in Badakhshan tell Afghanistan International that the Taliban have detained several individuals, including relatives of a number of the group’s ethnic Tajik commanders, amid an ongoing dispute over gold. According to these sources, those detained include Khaled, a nephew of Mawlawi Amanuddin Mansoor, the Taliban’s governor in Helmand; Musa Kaka, a commander close to Juma Khan Fateh, the Taliban’s deputy governor in Zabul; and the brother-in-law of Mawlawi Hafiz, the Taliban’s governor in Farah. The sources also reported that the Taliban have destroyed gold-processing workshops belonging to Amanuddin Mansoor. Click here to read more (external link).
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8am: Following the release of a video showing the severe beating of two elderly men by Taliban fighters, the Human Rights Activists Union (HRAU) says the footage once again reveals the deeply rooted and systematic nature of Taliban violence. In a statement issued on Monday, May 18, the HRAU said that scenes of attacks on civilians with “sticks, fists, and kicks” by a group of armed men demonstrate a level of brutality that crosses all moral, legal, and human boundaries. According to the statement, reports and visible evidence suggest that the attack may be linked to land grabbing, forced displacement, or intimidation of civilians. It added that similar incidents have previously been reported, including videos of men and women being beaten and tortured by Taliban fighters. 
8am: The Taliban have announced the arrest of a member of the former government’s Public Uprising Forces in Faryab province on charges of possessing weapons and military equipment. This comes amid numerous media reports of arrests, torture, and killings of former security forces and members of the Public Uprising Forces by the Taliban. 
Amu: At least eight people, including several women and children, were killed in separate violent incidents in Kabul and northern Afghanistan over the past two days, according to local sources and Taliban officials, raising fresh concerns about public security under Taliban rule. Security analysts say such crimes risk undermining public confidence and social stability, particularly as economic hardship and unemployment continue to worsen across the country. 
Khaama: A coalition of human rights and women’s rights organizations has expressed concern over new marriage-related regulations introduced by the Taliban, warning that the rules could legitimize child marriage and deepen restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan. 