KABUL, Afghanistan — As the Taliban move forward with a sweeping plan to reduce the size of the public offices, sources inside several ministries say that women and former employees of the ousted republic are facing the greatest risk of dismissal.
Multiple sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, told Amu TV that the cuts appear to be selective and politically motivated, targeting groups seen as incompatible with the Taliban’s vision for governance.
“There’s growing concern that these reductions are being used as a cover to remove women and former republic-era officials under the guise of streamlining,” one civil servant said. “There is no transparency in the process.”
The restructuring, ordered by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, includes plans to eliminate tens of thousands of positions across key ministries — most notably 90,000 jobs in the Ministry of Education, 6,400 in the Ministry of Public Health, and 908 within the police command of Farah Province. An additional 222 positions have reportedly been cut from the administrative structure of the Taliban’s Council of Ministers.
The internal reshuffling is also reportedly exposing rifts within the Taliban. Sources say growing tension between factions aligned with Kandahar and the Haqqani network has complicated efforts to implement uniform reductions — particularly in the security sector, where both sides are allegedly seeking to preserve their loyalists “even at the most junior ranks.”
Former Senate Deputy Speaker Mohammad Asif Siddiqi said the cuts appear to serve three aims: “To eliminate women from public administration, to purge those affiliated with the former republic, and to sideline perceived internal opponents.”
Though the Taliban have publicly denied any infighting, internal divisions have been widely reported in recent months, especially over military budgeting. Akhundzada reportedly ordered a 20 percent reduction in security spending, further straining the balance of power within the Taliban.
In an interview earlier this month with state-run television, a Taliban spokesperson confirmed that structural downsizing was underway across civilian and military agencies, but offered no details on how or where the cuts would fall. The Taliban have yet to publicly respond to reports of gender-based and politically targeted dismissals.
Human rights advocates warn that the elimination of women from public roles — already sharply restricted since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 — will accelerate under the current plan.
“These past four years have been about rebuilding the state in their own image,” said Rahel Talash, a human rights activist. “They’ve trained their own loyalists, recruited like-minded individuals from abroad, and now appear ready to hand over key government posts to those who align ideologically.”
While the Taliban claim the cuts are part of a broader effort to reduce administrative inflation, many former officials say the move could have severe economic consequences in a country already teetering under widespread unemployment and aid dependency.
“This isn’t just about jobs — it’s about deliberately hollowing out the civil service and silencing any trace of the former government,” one dismissed official said.
