The men who conquered Kabul have a strange new life, including talking to women, scrolling Twitter all day, rent problems, and traffic.
In 2021, the Taliban took control of their country’s capital and assumed authority. In contrast to their previous rule in the late 1990s, they pledged to adopt a more forward-thinking stance, stating that they would grant women greater liberties and ensure equitable treatment of their populace.
Keane Jack, a retired US General, stated that before 2001, the conditions under Taliban rule in Afghanistan were what they returned to invade. Over the past year, there has been a continuous cutting back on allowing women to attend universities and schools, and the fundamentalist regime has been responsible for killing protestors.
As per a report from Sabawoon Samim, a self-reliant investigator, five Taliban militants claim to have grown disillusioned with urban living. Removed from their armed, countryside existence as devout fighters and currently serving as mere pawns in the governing system, a few Taliban soldiers have been assigned influential roles within the administration.
Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) released Samim’s interviews from late 2022 with the five individuals – a leader, a marksman, a vice commander, and two combatants – on February 2nd.
Struggling with common urban challenges such as excessive internet usage and demanding supervisors, they depict the journey of the five combatants, ranging in age from 24 to 32, who have transitioned from keeping an eye on the sky for drone attacks.
“The societal impact of residing in an urban setting on these Taleban is evident,” Samim stated in his report.
“According to the researcher, it is now a common practice for women, who were previously secluded from society, to interact with male relatives and even expose their faces in public. This change in social norms applies to all women, regardless of their educational background, whether they are from urban or rural areas, or whether they are civilians or fighters.”
Huzaifa, a 24-year-old sniper currently employed at a police district in Kabul, expressed to Samim how wearisome life has become. He mentioned that the routine involves performing identical tasks day in and day out. Huzaifa further explained that the Taliban used to have the freedom to operate without limitations, whereas now they are confined to a stationary position, spending the entirety of their time behind a desk and a computer, all day, every day of the week.
As per the AAN report, none of the five individuals were adults or had come into existence when the Taliban was removed by US-led forces in 2001. Huzaifa, along with his four comrades, is married and has children. The majority of them had not witnessed Kabul until the year 2021.
Samim wrote that they had spent between six and 11 years fighting for the Taliban, becoming members during their teenage years.
The deputy commander group, Kamran, who is currently working in the Ministry of Interior, expressed that the AAN report on “the time of jihad” is still missing some crucial information.
Kamran Samim was informed, “When someone is nominated for a government job, he first asks whether the car has a position or not.” “Now, many of us have imprisoned ourselves in our palaces and have abandoned the simple life. We are accustomed to living among the people.”
Discovering Twitter, traffic, and talking to women
Nafi Abdul, a 25-year-old fighter, who is currently working as an executive director in the government, said that he had to learn how to use a computer for his new job.
Yet there isn’t much work for him to do, and so he spends most of his time on Twitter, he told Samim.
“We have access to fast Wi-Fi and internet. Many mujaheddin, myself included, are obsessed with the internet, particularly Twitter,” he stated.
According to Samim, another new source of worry for Nafi Abdul is that international watchdogs who speak with women are concerned about the repeated crushing of their rights by the Taliban, as they believe that public spaces should be segregated between women and men due to the strict interpretation of Islamic law by the leaders.
Nafi Abdul described his astonishment at having a woman in the same computer class as him, reporting the local bazaar’s approach to the meeting of women because he was afraid.
Huzaifa, the police sniper, expressed that he and his colleagues had never spoken to unfamiliar ladies throughout their entire lives as they initially concealed themselves from women seeking their assistance.
Huzaifa informed Samim that the Taliban authorities had to instruct them because it was permissible under Islamic law for law enforcement to engage in conversation with the women.
In Kabul, the congestion and housing costs are two of Omar Mansur’s main complaints. He is a 32-year-old leader who has been unexpectedly placed in a prominent role within the government.
Samim was informed that, over the past few months, it has become increasingly congested, but it was still tolerable last year. I can’t express enough how much Kabul’s traffic jams have been growing. Even at his seniority level, Mansur Omar said that the rent is too high for him to afford to bring his family to Kabul, and he only earns $180 a month.
As per the AAN report, Abdul Salam, a farmer who engaged in multiple conflicts with the Taliban, currently oversees road checkpoints and expressed dissatisfaction with the deteriorating treatment of fighters by the Taliban, as they are no longer considered valuable resources during times of peace. Abdul Salam is a 26-year-old individual.
He informed Samim that if we voice our concerns, fail to show up for work, or violate the regulations, our salary will be reduced. There is a saying in our locality that equates money to a restraint.
Salam, along with several other Taliban combatants interviewed, sensed that the general public had also ceased to show them respect.
An elderly man, whom he found along the road, had stopped his car when he saw that he was supposed to be running the nation, as reported by AAN. He told Samim that he shouldn’t need help because he paused to tell him that he was trying to hitch a ride to his home in the province of Kandahar.
Samim and the Afghan Analysts Network did not promptly reply to Insider’s inquiries for comment.