How did the life of the Taliban who came to Kabul from the villages change?

Taliban security personnel in Barmal province on December 15, 2022

After taking power in Afghanistan, many Taliban moved from rural areas to big cities. For the first time in their lives, most of them are facing a big city and its turbulent life.

As soon as the Taliban took power, many of their fighters moved from villages to major cities in Afghanistan. For the first time in their lives, most of them were facing a big city and its turbulent life.

Guest author Sabavan Samim gave a detailed interview to five such Taliban members who have left the countryside and live in Kabul away from their families.

How did they feel about Kabul and its people? How was the experience of regular employment, office hours, traffic and urban life with millions of residents? An attempt has been made to find out all this.

After seizing power in August 2021, a large number of Taliban veterans rushed to the capital Kabul.

For many who were born in rural areas and spent their youth on the battlefield, it was the first time they had seen the capital.

Even for their fathers, the Afghan capital of 2021 was a new world, where the ruins caused by the civil war had again turned into high-rise buildings and the population had multiplied. Some of those who came to Kabul stayed back.

We had detailed discussions with five ttp members to learn about this new urban life, Kabul and the residents of Kabul.

He is between the ages of 24 and 32 and worked in different capacities in the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan for six to 11 years. Among them are a commander, a deputy commander, a sniper and two fighters.

The five are employees of the new government and living in Kabul without their families, who return to their hometowns only on holidays.

Omar Mansoor

Omar Mansoor, 32, from YahyaKhel district of Paktika province, is married and the father of five children. He is the head of a Group of Taliban.

I was born in North Waziristan but spent my childhood in Yahya Khel where I received my early education in a village mosque and then moved to a madrassa set up by the Taliban in a nearby district. I was only 11 years old at the time of the US invasion of Afghanistan.

After this attack and the resultant indiscriminate bombing, I firmly believed that jihad against these foreign invaders is obligatory. I left my madrasa education incomplete and remained engrossed in jihad for the next 14 years.

After some time, I became a deputy in the group of Maulvi Sahib (The Taliban call their senior commanders Respected Maulvi Sahib) and then became the commander. Alhamdulillah, we were victorious, after which Maulvi Sahib told a minister and I was appointed as the head of an office in grade 3.

I didn't bring my family to Kabul because the house rent is very high and our salary is only 15,180 Afghani (about US$). Inshallah, as soon as the salary increases, I will bring my family here as well.

I had never been to Kabul before. We had heard from the radio and the people who went there that it had been beautifully built by the Americans and Karzai. But it's still not as beautiful as it should have been.

The Americans spent a lot of money, but instead of bringing the city to a higher standard, much of it went into the pockets of (Marshal Qasim) Fahim (the late vice president and leader of the Northern Military Alliance). Yet it is the most beautiful city in Afghanistan.

I don't like the increasing traffic congestion in Kabul and the disruption of movement due to it. It was tolerable till last year but in the last few months it has increased a lot.

People often complain that poverty was created by the Taliban, but seeing the crowds of people in traffic, markets and restaurants, I wonder where that poverty is.

Earlier, we had a lot of freedom where to go, where to live and whether to participate in the war or not. Ever since we won, this freedom has been snatched away, which I don't like.

Now we have to go to the office before 4 a.m. and stay there till p.m. If you don't go, your salary is deducted due to absenteeism. Anyway, we have got used to it, but in the first two, three months it seemed very difficult.

What I like the most in Kabul is its relatively clean and convenient life, modern buildings, roads, electricity, internet connections and many other things.

You can get taxis even in the middle of the night, there are hospitals at the door, educational centers and madrasas are available in every corner of the city. Kabul's other positive feature is its ethnic diversity.

You can see an Uzbek, Pashtun and Tajik living in the same building and praying in the same mosque.

Some people have a very negative impression of Kabul. I have seen all kinds of people here, good and firm Muslims and very bad Muslims.

Unlike in villages, instead of influencing others, people go to mosques and do charity just for the sake of Allah. Because people know very little about each other, they don't need to influence each other.

Similarly, there are many bad and wicked people here. They are morally dishonest and Muslims by name, they are sinners. I couldn't decide whether there are more good people or bad people here.

Huzaifa

Huzaifa, a 24-year-old sniper, hails from Zarmat district in southeastern Paktia province. He is married and the father of two children.

I was brought up in Zarmat and at the age of about 13, my father admitted me to a nearby madrasa. Five years later, I decided to leave my studies and join the Taliban, which was persuaded by a friend.

My family first tried to call me back directly and then through our commander. He said that if I come home, they will get me engaged. But once someone spends time in the army, it becomes difficult to leave the friendly and loving atmosphere here.

There was love, sincerity and above all the thirst for martyrdom. Here worldly hobbies were not far away in the routine of life. We were trying our best to sacrifice everything in the way of jihad.

I was a sniper and used to spend most of my time in Paktia. Life was very simple in the time of jihad. We just had to think about planning attacks and repelling the enemy.

People did not expect much from us, nor were they responsible for us, while now if anyone is hungry, he considers us directly responsible for it.

After the victory, we went to Kabul and was given a government job in the police while other friends were sent to the Interior Ministry.

It was on this occasion that I saw Kabul for the first time in my life. Initially, I thought Kabul would be full of bad people, but to be honest, over the last few years, I realised I was wrong.

Of course, there are many negative aspects to this, such as supporting the occupiers, women not wearing proper clothes, young people molesting girls and cutting their hair in a Western way, but these problems still exist in rural areas nowadays.

After reaching Kabul, we were stunned to see its complexity and its extent. We didn't know where to go.

When we reached our police station, we were stunned to see the compound, weapons and protective gear and how they left all this without firing a single bullet. The (former) army and police were so cowardly that we couldn't believe it.

One thing I don't like about Kabul is that people from all 34 provinces of Afghanistan have moved here, including a large number of criminals from all over Afghanistan, and it has turned the city into a hub of its illegal activities.

We are facing a lot of difficulties in eliminating crime, especially robbery.

Secondly, I do not like the brutal attitude of the people, which is mostly targeted by women and dozens of people file their complaints with the police every day.

They are victims of various types of brutality. In the first days, when women contacted us, many mujahideen, including me, used to hide from them because we had never spoken to foreign women in our entire lives.

The station head then instructed us that sharia allows us to talk to them because now we are the authorities and the only means who can solve their problems.

What I don't like about Kabul is its suffocating atmosphere. People live together but don't talk to each other. It's bad partly because people don't cooperate with each other, but one of the positives is that unlike in the village, people don't interfere in your life and talk about you behind your back.

Another thing I dislike is the limited scope of life. In one place, at the same desk and seven days a week behind the computer, that's the only routine. Life has become very tiring, you do the same things every day.

I have befriended three boys who are from our province but have been living here for more than 15 years. We sometimes go to the Kabul zoo and around.

Honestly, whenever I go with them, they pressure me to play and listen to music in the car. At first I was resisting, but now I have conditionally given up to shut it down while passing through security checkpoints because many other Taliban don't like it and it's very bad for a talib to get caught listening to music.

Although my new friends are from good families and good boys, there are many bad circles of young people in Kabul who smoke cigarettes, use drugs and do bad things.

Our nature and values are different, and that's why most of our friends don't make many friends in Kabul. Yet some Taliban have now befriended such young people and are inclined to do many bad things, such as smoking in a hookah cafe.

Kamran

Kamran, a 27-year-old deputy group commander, hails from Saidabad district of Wardak province. He is married and the father of two children.

I graduated from a government school in Syedabad and then dropped out at the age of 19 for the sake of jihad. This is my eighth year with the Taliban.

The intensity of the Battles of Syedabad is well known throughout Afghanistan. I also participated in them. A lot of dead bodies fell here.

During the jihad, the fear of drones followed us like a shadow. Although war conditions have changed in the last two or three years, the threat of drones still affects our movements.

In fact, we never allowed the Americans and their puppets to take the lead over us in face-to-face battles, except bombing.

Alhamdulillah, things have completely changed now. We can go wherever we want.

I had seen Kabul twice before the victory. Kabul was under control then and both times I was afraid that I would not be arrested. Once I was questioned a lot but I managed to cheat them.

I got a job in the Ministry of Home Affairs. I am happy with my job but often miss the time of jihad. Then every moment of our lives was full of devotion.

Many of our friends left jihad after the victory. Many others betrayed the blood of the martyrs. Nowadays people are busy gaining more and more wealth and fame in this worldly life.

Earlier we used to do everything for the pleasure of Allah, but now it is the opposite. The first priority of many is to fill their pockets and gain fame.

Taliban Afghanistan Kabul

I am not happy after the victory because we immediately forgot our past. Then we had only one bike, one walkie-talkie and a mosque or madrasa.

Now when someone is nominated for a government job, the first thing he asks is whether he will get a car with that post or not. We lived among people.

Many of us have now left this simple life and caged ourselves in our offices and neighbourhoods.

I don't talk much with the people of Kabul because the ministry here is full of my fellow Taliban.

By the way, sometimes I sit with the employees of the previous regime who are still doing their jobs.

They show themselves to be very good people and sincere to the Taliban government, but I can tell you that they actually hate us.

I don't know exactly why, but I've identified some possible reasons last year.

First, these employees were working in the Interior Ministry as well as earning illegal wealth through corruption.

Secondly, the Americans invested heavily in them and they became so Westernized that they now hate our original Afghan culture and Islam. When the Taliban government came to power, their illegal business and corruption ended completely and they had no means of earning except salary.

Now they are not earning lakhs of rupees. Now tell yourself what to do if they don't hate us.

I am very concerned about my mujahideen. The real test and challenge was not during jihad but now. We are tested by cars, positions, wealth and women.

Many of our mujahideen have, god forbid, fallen into a toxic trap that appears to be very attractive. They began to ignore their old colleagues who had played an important role in the victory.

I didn't think of living in Kabul (permanently with family). Of course it is beautiful from the outside but there is very little peace in it.

People in the village are with you in good and bad times, life and death. You have a community. People here don't have time to talk. People are running after worldly life. They think that if one day they do not go to work, they will die of poverty.

Abdul Nafi

Abdul Nafi, 25, hails from Burkibark district in Logar province. He is married and the father of two children.

I grew up in Burkibrik and attended school until sixth grade. Then he studied in a madrasa till class 12 and joined the Taliban about seven years ago.

Jihad was a sacred path that gave us real happiness. During jihad, no one could know the difference between a commander and a foot soldier like me. We used to sit together and share each other's stories without any sympathy.

However, after the victory, everything changed. I am a mujahid myself, but I have to face obstacles to meet a director with a small post.

In the second week of victory, I arrived in Kabul, which was my first experience of seeing the city. It was a huge city that got me into trouble as to how we would find our way. Now I probably know the streets of Kabul better than many kablis. I go home once or twice a month.

I came here with Maulvi Sahib who is very kind. I was appointed executive director in Grade 4 and during this time I continued my previous job as his guard. I live with them in their house. It's a big house.

They always tell me to bring my family and stay on one floor. But I am hesitant because of financial issues.

In the beginning, I didn't know anything about my work. Maulvi Sahib asked me to do computer course and English course. I got command over my job very quickly.

People say that with the arrival of the Taliban, educated and skilled people fled the country, but we have mastered everything ourselves.

Let me tell you a fact about the Taliban that we are very smart and intelligent, we learn things very quickly.

There is very little work for me in our ministry. So I spend most of my time on Twitter. We are connected to high-speed Wi-Fi and internet. Many mujahideen, including me, are addicted to the internet, especially Twitter.

In the early days, when we sometimes came out of the ministry and came to the market, women's clothes seemed very expensive. In the beginning, women were afraid of mujahideen, but now they do not even know.

Many of our friends say little has changed in Kabul other than our arrival and the former government's change of police and personnel.

In the early days, many of my colleagues and I avoided going to the market because of women so that they did not turn a blind eye.

We hoped that the situation would get better soon but it did not happen, even a woman in the computer course was my classmate. We used to sit in the same classroom.

Although I did not like women who do not dress properly but could not leave the market or my class because of them.

I dislike Kabul because of the increasing incidents of robbery.

Abd al-Salam

Abdul Salam, 26, from Dand district of Kandahar province, is married and the father of three children.

I joined the Taliban when I was 20 years old. I didn't study in a school or in school.

The time of jihad was very good for us. I wasn't worried about my family's livelihood because my other brothers had taken it upon themselves. They thought jihad was obligatory and I was out of the house to do it.

Not only this, but at that time people used to help us to shelter, buy our shoes, clothes and petrol for our motorcycles.

But now everything has changed. The family may not speak to you in clear terms, but they want to bring home all my salary. Now it is my responsibility to raise children. Now people don't help.

Although we can now go everywhere without any fear, the war is over and the Islamic system is established, despite all this, we remember the days of jihad very much.

Then we used to get money too. Now if we complain or don't go to work or violate the rules, they deduct money from our salary. Because the war is over and the threat is negligible, the Taliban can find countless people to work for salaries.

I spend most of my time with my fellow Taliban. We go out for a walk on Fridays. From Saturday to Thursday, we are busy guarding the checkpoints day and night. I am trying to get a job in Kandahar.

What do the interviewees' experiences reveal to us about their new lives?

After the end of the war, the threat of bombing and night attacks has been averted. Because they belonged to the winning side, these rural Taliban fighters were awarded government jobs and important privileges. Yet victory brought them many difficulties.

More or less all those interviewed described the time of jihad as their best time, which was a religious duty and it was worship and honor to live and die on this path.

In addition, they now face obstacles in accessing their commanders who were once between them.

The change in government structure has forced them to follow government rules and regulations that they have never faced before.

They now need to earn money to support themselves and their families, which was not during the war when their own expenses were met by the movement and they had complete immunity.

The interviewees continued to appreciate the city's attractions, development and natural beauty. According to him, the social evils that are found in Kabul today are also present in the villages of Afghanistan.

Note: This article was originally published in English on the Afghan Analysts Network