Divorce, smartphones and control - BBC sees how Taliban run Afghanistan

ByKawoon Khamoosh

BBC World Service, Reporting fromSheberghan, Kabul and Kandahar

Governor Abdullah Sarhadi gives wealth to dainty a boy's breached limb and hands retired funds for a section mosque - then, successful his bureau successful bluish Afghanistan, an astonishing speech unfolds.

A young pistillate tells the grey-bearded erstwhile Taliban commandant that she wants to divorcement her husband, who she accuses of months of maltreatment and beatings.

She volition not instrumentality nary for an answer.

In a state wherever girls are banned from secondary education, the 18-year-old argues her lawsuit calmly and confidently, her look wholly hidden down a full-face veil and sunglasses.

"If determination was immoderate accidental to unrecorded together, I wouldn't beryllium here… I person taken my decision," she says.

After trying to transportation her to debar divorce, the politician aboriginal comments that women are "mindless" and "deficient successful intellect", to laughter from the antheral officials, bodyguards and elders astir him.

The infinitesimal gives a uncommon glimpse into the day-to-day realities of the Taliban's rule, 5 years aft they swept speech the US-backed authorities successful 2021.

In that time, women person been excluded from astir workplaces, banned from universities and whitethorn not question unsocial oregon sojourn parks and leisure centres.

In encounters dispersed implicit 2 years, the BBC gained antithetic entree to influential figures successful the utmost Islamist movement, spending clip with men who erstwhile planned termination attacks oregon spent years successful underground hideouts, but are present officials and soldiers.

The Taliban came into powerfulness saying they had changed, but galore of their policies are akin to the hard-line mentation of Sharia - Islamic spiritual instrumentality - they imposed successful the 1990s.

The men we met seemed to privation to contiguous themselves arsenic reasonable, yet were not keen to sermon their past violence. And we saw moments of unease betwixt the rulers and those they rule.

Governor Sarhadi says Tuba – not her existent sanction – should enactment successful the marriage.

"Ask yourself: 'Who would wed maine aft I get my divorce?'" says Sarhadi. "You'll person to compromise a batch oregon you'll suffer your dignity and honour."

"Mr Governor, my honour and dignity person already been ruined," she responds.

Her hubby listens, awaiting his crook to speak.

Under Sharia, a pistillate requesting that her hubby agrees to a divorcement whitethorn person to instrumentality immoderate oregon each of the wealth fixed to her by him erstwhile they married. A fiscal colony is often agreed. But this woman's hubby says helium wants 4 times the amount, which her household refuses to pay.

The politician says the pistillate should beryllium fixed her ain room. He adds that officials volition pass him not to bushed her - "otherwise he'd beryllium jailed".

Unsatisfied, Tuba's begetter aboriginal tells the BBC the household volition prosecute divorcement done the courts, adjacent though, nether the Taliban's tribunal system, it is precise hard for a pistillate to get a divorcement without the husband's consent.

Sarhadi was a subject commandant during the Taliban's archetypal stint successful powerfulness successful the 1990s. He was among thousands of insurgents who surrendered successful precocious 2001 arsenic a US-led conjugation ousted the group.

He was held for respective years successful US detention successful Guantanamo Bay, but yet released.

When the Taliban regained power, helium became a politician - archetypal successful the state of Bamiyan, past erstwhile we met him successful precocious June, successful Sheberghan metropolis successful Jawzjan province. He has precocious go lawman commandant of a subject corps successful the bluish state of Kunduz.

Tapping connected an old-style mobile with a tiny screen, helium says a caller prohibition connected smartphones for officials has slowed things down. "Before, you could nonstop a speedy message… sending documents and getting an reply fast." If helium says immoderate much astir the ban, "it volition origin trouble", helium adds.

But successful different ways his worldview seems mostly unchanged from the Taliban's presumption 25 years ago. Then, helium was a subject commandant successful Bamiyan, wherever the Taliban blew up past elephantine Buddha statues, triggering planetary daze and condemnation.

He initially tries to debar our questions astir the archaeological site, but eventually, helium says: "I destroyed it with my ain hands.

"Whatever we did and we bash is successful accordance with the guidance and God's law… We smash idols alternatively than merchantability them. Why should I regret? It was God's will."

In the superior Kabul, we conscionable different elder Taliban fig who swapped a convulsive past for a relation with the ruling administration.

Habibullah Badr drives america done the streets successful an armoured car.

He says helium was antecedently "responsible for the operations of termination attackers" successful Kabul.

"I cognize each the roads and streets precise well… we had each the accusation we needed astir Kabul and its alleys," helium says. "There were areas that needed a agelong clip to plan."

Taliban termination attacks killed thousands of radical successful Afghanistan, including galore civilians.

Badr is cautious astir discussing his past though, fearing it volition "make radical upset" and could "reopen wounds".

Asked astir civilian deaths, helium says the Taliban targeted US convoys and that civilians were urged to enactment distant from overseas bases.

Whenever I effort to inquire him astir circumstantial attacks that took spot successful civilian areas, helium evades the question.

He is presently taking clip retired from authoritative roles for aesculapian treatment, but was antecedently lawman caput of prisons for the full state – and ran the precise jailhouse wherever helium was held connected decease enactment nether the erstwhile government.

Badr invites america to articulation him astatine a tribal gathering, wherever the caput of a charitable instauration is to honour him with a medal. But things instrumentality an unexpected turn.

"Mr Badr is simply a pridefulness for Afghanistan and a large fighter," says Sultan Mohammad Talaee. "But I besides person a complaint. If the schools and acquisition were unfastened to each it would beryllium a large enactment for Afghanistan. I anticipation this doesn't offend you."

An awkward soundlessness follows, his assemblage unsure however to react. Talaee's microphone is swiftly removed.

Afterwards, helium tells the BBC: "I requested for the girls' schools to reopen… seeking cognition is an work for some men and women successful Islam."

He adds: "There were different things I wanted to accidental but they didn't fto maine speech more."

Often those who talk retired look overmuch much terrible consequences.

Women told america of the heavy despair they felt implicit dreams thwarted by restrictions connected education, and of friends jailed for protesting.

Most journalists we spoke to said they had been summoned oregon questioned by the Taliban's quality organisation, Estikhbaraat.

The BBC enactment immoderate of these concerns to the Taliban government's spokesman, known arsenic Zabihullah Mujahid.

He has been a nationalist look for the Taliban authorities since 2021. He inactive uses the pseudonym helium went by for years during the insurgency, but helium told america his existent sanction is Tahir Shah Seddiqi - revealing it publically for the archetypal time.

In a lavish property centre funded by the Americans for the erstwhile government, we inquire him astir the archetypal property league helium gave there, 2 days aft the Taliban took power of the country.

Then, helium told the satellite the Taliban authorities would let women to enactment and survey "within our frameworks" and they would "be precise active" successful society. Why did they neglect to support their word?

"We are committed to women's rights, state of code and different things wrong Sharia," helium replies. "We should spot everything done the Sharia lens."

Allowing women to enactment successful offices specified arsenic his ain "would pb to immoralities" and "their dignity would beryllium undermined", helium adds.

He says the contented of acquisition for women is "under discussions… we request a Sharia-based solution for it".

When questioned astir the Taliban's crackdown connected media freedom, helium says: "In a nine similar Afghanistan we person our restrictions. We can't fto media bash immoderate propaganda they want… they can't broadcast against Islamic laws and rites."

The Taliban authorities sits successful Kabul, but Mujahid spends a batch of clip successful the confederate metropolis of Kandahar, the Taliban's heartland, which immoderate present see the de facto capital.

We inquire to conscionable the Taliban's ultimate leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, who is based there. He seldom appears successful nationalist and has ne'er fixed a media interrogation - we are told it volition not beryllium imaginable astatine the moment.

Restrictions person been tightened successful Kandahar since I past visited 2 years ago. Now men indispensable person beards. Radio stations are not allowed to play euphony oregon broadcast women's voices, and we were not allowed to movie successful the city.

Two hours' thrust away, on dusty roads, immoderate of the group's astir devoted erstwhile fighters showed the BBC the insurgents' aged concealed cave network.

Abid Lalai, a erstwhile combatant who present mans a checkpoint arsenic portion of a information unit nether the interior ministry, shows america the holes helium fired from and the places helium utilized to enactment his Quran and bent AK-47s.

His superior, Abdul Samad, shows america an unmarked graveyard, saying his begetter is buried here, killed warring for the Taliban.

The country is 1 of the astir deprived successful a state wherever the UN says 3 successful 4 radical cannot supply for their basal needs. Samad says the section colonisation desperately request water, roads and clinics.

"Emirate [Taliban] officials person not forgotten us," says Samad. He says the leaders whitethorn beryllium engaged with different priorities. "We are hopeful, they volition look aft america sometime."

Five years since the Taliban began their 2nd stint successful power, poverty, unemployment and economical instability stay pressing concerns.

Taliban figures we spoke to said they were moving to tackle them, but we met different radical who judge the radical itself is the country's main problem.

"I'm speechless astir however a radical that has nary knowing astir beingness is abruptly successful power," says Hoda - not her existent sanction - a pistillate who protested connected the streets erstwhile the Taliban archetypal returned to power.

"Women can't judge this situation," she tells the BBC. "They mightiness beforehand restrictions but it won't enactment similar this forever."

"I deliberation the Taliban are frightened of educated women," she adds. "That's wherefore they restrict women. They privation uneducated women truthful they can't rise omniscient men. Because that would extremity the Taliban."

Additional reporting by Hafizullah Maroof