8am: The Taliban, despite their claims of combating administrative corruption and ethnic discrimination, have engaged in widespread corruption within government institutions and have significantly fueled ethnic bias. Findings from a report by the Hasht-e Subh Daily regarding the Education Directorate of Baghlan Province reveal that the principal of a school in Central Baghlan has labeled all Persian speakers as “infidels” and insisted they should not be present at the school. At the same time, sources have uncovered extensive corruption, extortion, and the sale of positions by the Taliban’s Education Director and his team within this institution. According to sources, this local Taliban official, despite a transfer request issued by the group’s governor, enjoys support from Taliban authorities in Kabul and Kandahar, rendering no one able to remove him from his post. Click here to read more (external link).