A hacker group has recently launched a cyberattack against the Taliban, exposing confidential documents related to 21 ministries and independent institutions controlled by the group. Among the leaked documents are several important orders from Mullah Hibatullah, the Taliban leader, which had previously been kept hidden from the public.
These documents, which include administrative data, official decrees, government correspondence, and sensitive security information, were published on a website called “TalibLeaks.”
The leaked documents reveal secret orders issued by Mullah Hibatullah targeting the people of Afghanistan and employees of the former Republic’s government. According to the disclosed files, Mullah Hibatullah issued an order placing a travel ban on at least 8,200 former government employees, and it appears that cases have been built against them. This revelation contradicts the Taliban’s claims that everyone has been granted amnesty and no one is being prosecuted for their past affiliations.
Additionally, another order from Mullah Hibatullah directs the Taliban to prohibit any Afghan from traveling abroad for higher education without his personal approval. These orders, previously concealed from the public, highlight the tight control the Taliban maintains over Afghan citizens.
The leaked documents also expose abuses and misconduct by officials within the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. According to the documents, a member of this ministry in Qarqin district of Jawzjan province maintained a private prison and conducted arbitrary trials. In one case, a young man committed suicide in Jawzjan province due to the mistreatment he received from this Taliban official.
Moreover, the documents reveal widespread administrative and financial corruption within the Taliban government. The evidence shows that the Taliban failed to distribute state resources and budgets fairly. For instance, the documents indicate that the Department of Ushr and Zakat under the Taliban’s Ministry of Agriculture employs 1,200 staff members. Additionally, employees of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Laghman province reportedly receive a minimum salary of 20,000 Afghanis.
The leaked documents also disclose that 18,000 Afghans are currently imprisoned in Taliban jails, including 1,370 women. Furthermore, 69 foreign nationals, including 6 women, are being held in Taliban prisons.
The prison data published on TalibLeaks pertains to the solar year 1402 (2023/2024), and there may have been changes in these figures since then.
The identity of the administrators of TalibLeaks and the hackers who obtained this information remains unknown. The Taliban have not yet responded to these revelations.
