“The Taliban Have Seized Our Ancestral Lands by Force”
Exclusive Report by the Telegram Channel Bozgasht (“Return”)
Original article: آوارگی اجباری ۶۰۰ خانواده غوری؛
As part of their ongoing repressive and retaliatory policies, the Taliban have forcibly relocated 600 families from the Kishru Valley in Dawlatyar district, Ghor province, using violence and torture. Members of the Taliban movement seized the lands of these people. Videos sent by local sources to the Bozgasht agency clearly show the injustice, repression, vindictiveness, and despotism directed at the poor residents of the region. Footage shows families, under militant pressure, fleeing their villages in fear and haste, carrying all their belongings.
One of the village elders, leaving with his children and relatives, says:
“I am 80 years old, and our ancestors have lived here for 400–500 years. But now, on the orders of Ahmad Shah Dindust, commander of the Taliban’s 205th Al-Badr Army Corps, we are being mercilessly expelled... Only God can help us.”
Other footage shows militants looting houses while people wait for transportation to leave their villages. Locals say they are powerless against the Taliban and are forced to submit, abandoning their homes and land.
Taliban’s Revenge — The Motive Behind the Forced Relocation
Local sources told the agency that residents of Dawlatyar were targeted as an act of political revenge by the Taliban for their resistance in recent years. During the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, especially in the mountainous regions of Ghor, these residents inflicted significant damage on the forces of Ahmad Shah Dindust (Taliban). Now, under Taliban rule, these people are facing systematic expulsion, oppression, and destruction instead of justice.
Root of the Conflict — An Old Ethnic Dispute
According to sources, the true reason behind the forced relocation lies in a longstanding ethnic conflict between two tribes — the Taymani and the Khanzadeh (Sardarhel) — over lands in the Kishru Valley. Although the Taliban’s Council of Ulema in Ghor ruled last year to divide the lands equally between the two tribes, Ahmad Shah Dindust violated this decision and unilaterally transferred the land to the Sardarhel tribe (from which one of his wives comes). Locals say Dindust has a long-standing feud with the Taymani, who fought against the Taliban during the republic. He used his authority and military power for ethnic vengeance.
Past clashes between these tribes have claimed dozens of lives. Recently, a prominent Taymani figure — Senator Ahmad Khan — was killed. Sources blame individuals connected to the Sardarhel tribe and Ahmad Shah Dindust for his death.
Power Without Law and Ethnic Repression
The Taliban’s unlawful actions and ethnic crackdowns have turned their rule into a tool of systematic oppression. With no independent judiciary and all power concentrated in the hands of local commanders, millions of Afghans have become victims of personal decisions, tribal favoritism, and ethnic hostility. Forced evictions, property seizures, and armed threats are clear violations of international conventions, fundamental human rights, and Islamic principles of justice and brotherhood. While the Taliban claim to be building an “Islamic state,” in reality, they are the primary violators of Islamic norms of fairness and impartiality.
Silence Is Complicity — Taliban Leadership Remains Quiet
Despite numerous reports and complaints, Taliban officials have not responded publicly. This silence is widely interpreted as tacit approval of their commanders’ discriminatory actions. Experts warn that if such actions continue, it will further destroy the country’s social fabric, spark new civil conflicts, destabilize the region, and extinguish hopes for peaceful coexistence.
Similar forced relocations have previously taken place in the provinces of Faryab, Jawzjan, Takhar, Panjshir, Badakhshan, Daikundi, and Kabul. In Daikundi, hundreds of families were expelled under the pretext of “land reclamation” and urban development projects. In another case, the Taliban’s Minister of Justice evicted at least 100 families from the Senatoryam area of Kabul, handing over their homes to Taliban fighters.
