KABUL — Taliban have approved the disbursement of public employees salaries for the months of Hamal and Saur (March and April), following a three-month delay that left thousands of civil servants unpaid, according to documents reviewed by Amu and sources familiar with the decision.
A letter from the Taliban-run Ministry of Finance, obtained by Amu, confirms that salary payments for those months — totaling more than 2.5 billion afghanis ($35.8 million) — has now been authorized. The letter also includes authorization for expenditures in the current month of Jawza (May–June).
According to the document, salaries for civil servants in Kabul were approved at 118 million afghanis ($1.8 million), while those for Kandahar totaled approximately 226 million afghanis ($3.2 million) — a disparity that sources say reflects shifting administrative priorities under Taliban rule.
Employees in various public offices told Amu that they received their March pay only recently — and not without discrepancies. Two civil servants reported significant cuts in their salaries. One said their pay dropped from 23,000 ($330) to 17,000 afghanis ($244), while another claimed a reduction from 20,000 ($287) to 10,000 afghanis ($143). A third worker, however, said their salary was paid in full.
Taliban have yet to offer a public explanation for the delays or reported deductions. But the approval comes amid broader budget reductions ordered by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who has directed a 20 percent cut in government staffing and expenditures across all departments.
Sources told Amu that the cuts have disproportionately affected employees who were hired under the former republic, further signaling a continued purge of those affiliated with the previous government.
Taliban have made few public statements about the administration of state finances, though concerns persist among public-sector workers over transparency, equity and the sustainability of salary payments.
