The Taliban have begun secretly digging underground tunnels in parts of Kandahar, including mountainous areas in District 11 of the provincial capital, several local sources told Amu.
The construction, reportedly led by Taliban intelligence units and special operatives, has raised questions about its purpose. While the Taliban have not made any public announcement, two sources familiar with the project said the tunnels are likely being built to store weapons, ammunition and large sums of cash.
The digging is taking place near areas where a powerful explosion was reported in April, sources said. The same area is home to one of the guesthouses of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who has largely ruled Afghanistan from Kandahar since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
Security sources said even Taliban police forces in Kandahar are not allowed to monitor the tunneling sites. “Access for civilians has been completely restricted, and local police are barred from approaching the area,” one Taliban security said.
Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, has become the Taliban’s power center since their return to power. Akhundzada has rarely been seen in public, but he is believed to reside in the city, directing policy from behind closed doors. Analysts have said that many key decisions, once made in Kabul, now originate in Kandahar.
“The Taliban’s intention behind any kind of excavation in Afghanistan is malicious, because they have no plans for reconstruction or development of the country. The unauthorized digging that has taken place across Afghanistan is either to access antiquities or to create strategic stockpiles for their own protection. In Kandahar, too, it could be for safeguarding themselves,” said Besmillah Taban, a military affairs analyst.
The use of tunnels is not new in Afghanistan. During the US-led war, Taliban and other militant groups often dug tunnels to evade airstrikes, transport fighters or conceal weapons stockpiles. But sources say the new activity in Kandahar is on a larger scale and tied directly to the group’s leadership.
The Taliban have not commented on the reports.
Kandahar’s growing fortification has deepened concerns that the city — and not Kabul — is the true seat of Taliban power, with Akhundzada consolidating control far from public scrutiny.
