8am: Sources in Kabul report an increase in financial corruption in the Taliban municipality’s procurement projects and say that the transparency process in awarding these projects to companies is practically being violated. These sources also emphasize that the conditions stated in the tender documents have been illegally changed, and arbitrary modifications have been applied to
8am: Many citizens of the country complain about various methods of extortion, bribery, and blackmail by the Taliban. They say that the Taliban, by employing new methods of bribery and extortion, have not only challenged administrative and social security, but have also created the groundwork for a natural crisis in Kabul. Sources say that Taliban
Afghanistan International: The report alleges that the Taliban block and redirect aid to ensure it reaches Pashtun communities rather than Tajik and Hazara populations. It says only 30 to 40 percent of all aid sent to Afghanistan has reached those truly in need. The United States has provided nearly $4 billion in humanitarian assistance to
8am: Sources in Taloqan say that for over 40 days, several pharmacies have been closed under the pretext of inspections. According to these sources, some pharmacies have reopened through mediation or connections with local Taliban authorities, while others have been forced to clear out their stock, contributing to rising unemployment in the province. Sources further
Afghanistan International: Following the Taliban’s official ban on opium cultivation and trafficking, some Taliban officials and drug smugglers have turned to producing methamphetamine, locally known as shisha, derived from the ephedra plant, known in Afghanistan simply as ephedra. An investigation by Afghanistan International indicates that certain Taliban figures are directly involved in the ephedra trade.
By Ray Furlong Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 2, 2025 A US body set up in 2008 to assess efforts to support Afghanistan has made its 68th and final quarterly report to Congress — with damning details of waste and “pervasive corruption” over the course of the nearly 20-year Western intervention as well as concerns about Trump administration
Afghanistan International: The Taliban’s Directorate of Emirati Companies announced that leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has issued a decree allocating more than one million acres of land to Taliban-linked companies. Many citizens have accused the Taliban of forcibly seizing private property and reclassifying it as state or “Emirati” land. Critics argue that the absence of a legitimate
8am: Some residents of Taloqan, the center of Takhar province, have voiced complaints about the lack of effective oversight by the Taliban’s public health directorate over the province’s public hospital. They claim that certain doctors at the Takhar provincial hospital refer patients to private clinics and hospitals for examinations based on personal financial interests, with
8am: Sayed (pseudonym), another investor in construction projects in Taloqan, stated that despite having legal documents and completing official procedures with government offices in Kabul and Takhar, the Taliban have stopped the construction of his residential high-rise. According to him, the Taliban-appointed mayor demanded three four-room apartments, each 180 square meters, and efforts to resolve
Amu: The imams, according to the accounts, have been provided housing near the mosques they oversee. Despite this, they chose to spend the holiday abroad — a move that has frustrated community members who say they are unable to file complaints because the clerics are appointed by Taliban authorities. Local residents expressed concern over what