8am: Farmers in Takhar Province allege that they are being forced to pay “ushr and zakat” under the guise of “one-tenth” to the head of the province’s agriculture, irrigation and livestock department. According to them, local Taliban officials are engaged in extortion and coercion. The farmers emphasize that when Taliban employees come to collect the “one-tenth,” they are compelled to comply out of fear of severe punishment and violence. Click here to read more (external link).