Taliban Governors Announce Creation of 1,000-Strong Military Units in Zones

Taliban governors in the northwest zone announced during a coordination meeting the establishment of new 1,000-man military units at the zone level. The office of the Taliban governor in Balkh stated that these units will be formed according to the needs of the provinces and on the order of Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban leader.

The meeting took place on Saturday, 24 Dalwa (Feb. 13), in Maimana, the capital of Faryab province. Topics included the creation of these military units, issues facing Afghan returnees, implementation of Akhundzada's decrees, promotion of Amr bil Maruf, and other matters. The units are to be established in seven zones: Kabul, Balkh, Herat, Nangarhar, Kunduz, Paktia, and Kandahar. No further details were provided on the purpose or structure of these units.

The meeting also decided that provincial Hajj and Endowments departments will provide religious education to Afghan returnees to enlighten them on Sharia principles. Per Akhundzada's order, a large religious school for children of returnees from the northwest zone will be established in Balkh, where children from returnee families will receive religious training.

On World Radio Day, Khabeb Ghafooran, spokesman for the Taliban's Ministry of Information and Culture, said 228 radio stations currently operate in Afghanistan, with the Taliban issuing licenses to 40 over the past four years.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center stated that the Taliban has imposed at least 24 decrees and orders restricting media activities over the same period, directly impacting radio broadcasts. Restrictions include bans on women working in state media, gender segregation in workplaces, prohibitions on cross-gender interviews, mandatory veiling for female journalists, limits on women at press conferences, and others. The center added that Taliban authorities have arrested and imprisoned media managers and journalists for non-compliance, and at least two women-focused local radios were threatened in the past year.

The Organization for Journalists' Support and the Free Journalists Union of Afghanistan expressed concerns over media challenges, financial instability affecting nearly 3,000 radio workers, many without regular salaries, and restrictions hindering professional journalism and public access to information.