Tuesday 17 August 2021
Measure against looting
Taliban leaders prevent militants from raiding their homes
After occupying Kabul, the Taliban tried to maintain public order. A senior Islamic militia leader prevents his fighters from entering civilian homes. This is to avoid looting in the Afghan capital.
The deputy head of the hardline Islamist Taliban movement has instructed militia fighters not to enter private homes in the Afghan capital, Kabul. According to an audio message attributed to Taliban leader Mullah Jacob, published by local TV station ToloNews, under no circumstances should anyone go to people’s homes or take their cars. If an official or an individual does this, it is a “betrayal of the system” and they are held accountable.
Mullah Yaqoub is the son of Mullah Omar, the founder of the Taliban movement. Since 2020, he has been the head of the Taliban Military Committee, to which all militia leaders are attached.
The background to the message is clearly that since the actual Taliban takeover of power in Kabul, there have been increased reports that Taliban fighters have been able to get into homes and take cars with them. At the same time, many Kabul residents also said that simple criminals took advantage of the Taliban’s arrival and pretended to be Taliban.
Fear of revenge and looting
On Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Sabiullah Mujahid said on Twitter that no one should enter the homes of former government officials and threaten them or take their cars. People who worked for the government or foreigners in particular were very concerned that the Taliban would come to their homes and take revenge on them or loot their property.
The Taliban have controlled the entire country in one victory rally in the past few weeks. Obviously, the speed was a surprise to her, too. They are slow to occupy the authorities. In the past few days, the Taliban has reminded several times of the amnesty issued by the Taliban leadership earlier and called on people, including women, to return to their jobs.