Reported by Hamid Madi, Translated by Rostam Safdari
The Taliban have been accused of imposing a new round of extortion on Afghan families during this year’s harvest season, demanding payments under the name of Ushr, a traditional Islamic tithe.
Reports gathered by Afghanistan Women’s Voice indicate that families across several provinces were forced to pay between 500 and 800 Afghanis each, regardless of their economic situation. Residents say the practice has placed severe financial strain on communities already struggling with poverty and unemployment.
Sources from Lal Wa Sarjangal district in Ghor province told Afghanistan Women’s Voice that local Taliban members collected 500 Afghanis from every family, imposing Ushr on wheat and potato harvests.
One resident explained: “About a month ago, the Taliban informed villagers through local elders to gather this year’s Ushr and deliver it to the district. Our village has around 70 families, and the total came to 35,000 Afghanis.”
He added that many families in the village are facing severe economic hardship: “Some families don’t even own a plough or farmland, but they were still forced to pay the Taliban’s Ushr.”
Residents of the Qarabagh district in Kabul province reported that the Taliban collected between 350 and 900 Afghanis from vineyard owners, depending on the size and yield of their grape farms. Taliban members allegedly entered vineyards and assessed payments based on land size and production level.
Locals claim they were threatened with arrest, torture, and imprisonment if they refused to pay. “People paid because they feared being beaten or jailed,” one source said.
In Parwan province, residents reported being forced to pay twice. First, fake Taliban members collected money, and two weeks later another group claiming to be municipal officials demanded payment again.
One resident explained: “When the second group came, people said they had already paid. Taliban asked for receipts, but villagers had none, so they paid again.”
Reports from Hesa-e-Awal Behsud district in Maidan Wardak suggest the Taliban collected more money this year than in previous years. Families struggling to meet basic living costs, paid up to 800 Afghanis under the name of Ushr.
Many residents say the injustice is not only in how the Taliban collect money, but in how nothing is given back. Although the Taliban demand Ushr and other payments in the name of religion, people say they provide no basic services in return. Schools are still closed, health centres lack medicine, and roads and infrastructure remain neglected. Families walk long distances just to find clean water, and there are no jobs or support for those struggling to survive. People ask how a government can demand payment when it offers no education, no services, and no future. For many, these payments are a painful reminder that the Taliban rule to take, not to serve.
Analysts say the Taliban’s collection of money under the guise of Ushr, Zakat, or “religious dues” is placing severe economic pressure on impoverished households. Widespread poverty, chronic unemployment, and rising prices of fuel and food have left families unable to cope.
Thousands of households are headed by women whose husbands were killed during the past two decades of conflict. Under Taliban rule, these women are banned from working or leaving home, making it impossible to pay such levies. With winter approaching, they face multiple hardships.
Experts warn that the funds collected strengthen the Taliban’s control and promote extremist ideology. They argue the group uses vast sums gathered from villages, markets, factories, and businesses to expand its radical agenda.
Earlier, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that in 2026, 21.9 million Afghans will require humanitarian assistance. The report noted that aid agencies can only assist 80% of those in need, leaving 20% in extreme poverty.
