POLITICS — June 12, 2026
Ahmad Massoud Condemns Taliban Suppression of Herat Protests
Ahmad Massoud condemned the Taliban's violent suppression of protests in Herat and urged national and international actors to take a clear stance against the regime's oppression.
The Ehtebar Desk — originates with Hasht-e Subh — 2 min read
Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front, has condemned the Taliban's violent suppression of protests in Herat. In a statement on his X account, he said the current time is not for vague statements, silence, neutrality, or fruitless sympathies.
Massoud described the Taliban regime as based on fear, humiliation, and violence against the people. He added that reports from Kabul and Herat represent only a small part of the widespread oppression and countless crimes of the regime, which he linked to media suppression and censorship.
He expressed solidarity with the women of Herat, stating they are not alone and that the National Resistance Front stands with them to defend freedom and human dignity.
Massoud called on national forces, elites, politicians, scholars, media, and international institutions to take a clear and responsible stance against the oppression.
Taliban forces suppressed protests in Jibraeel town of Herat last Tuesday using direct gunfire, killing at least two people including a woman and a child and injuring more than 30 others.
Read the original reporting at Hasht-e Subh →
Reliability assessment
Single source but qualifies as reliable due to direct on-record attribution from named public figure Ahmad Massoud with concrete, checkable details including his X account, specific date (Friday 22 Jawza), location (Jibraeel, Herat), and casualty figures.
The source language mixes facts with framing or advocacy wording. Hasht-e Subh: "widespread oppression and countless crimes of the repressive Taliban regime", "obvious oppression", "brave women of Herat" — these phrases use strong negative value judgments about the Taliban and positive emotional framing of the protesters to advocate for action.
Independent web corroboration
A separate web search returned 8 matching reports. A selection:
- Two killed in rare street demonstration over women’s rights in Afghanistan | Global development | The Guardiantheguardian.com
“The reported arbitrary detention of women for alleged hijab violations, followed by the violent suppression of those protesting these abuses, demonstrates the Taliban’s continuing reliance on fear and brutality to silence dissent.” · Taliban authorities were contacted for comment but a spokesman in Herat told the Taliban-controlled National Television that reports about women being detained over their hijab were “baseless” and no woman had ever been arrested for this reason.
Tuesday's protest came in response to the widespread detention of women and girls in Herat province in recent days by the Taliban’s morality police force, for alleged violations of the group’s rules on attire, which require women to cover their ...
Police in Herat denied there had been any deaths, but have acknowledged they responded to the protest, telling the BBC that officers had "taken action to ensure security and maintain public order".
On Sunday, the U.N.’s Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a post on X that the arrests and detentions of women in Herat over alleged dress code violations raised “serious human rights concerns.” It had expressed concern over similar arrests in the Afghan capital, Kabul, last year.
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Politics — Ahmad Massoud, Herat, Taliban, National Resistance Front, Jibraeel protests
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