Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani has blocked a plan by their leader Hibatullah Akhundzada to implement 20% reduction in staff within his ministry to protect trusted figures and loyal personnel, three sources familiar with the matter told Amu TV.
The staffing cut, part of a broader austerity plan ordered by Akhundzada last year, was intended to downsize public institutions, including security and civil agencies.
However, sources say Haqqani is resisting the directive, citing the importance of retaining specific individuals within the Interior Ministry’s structure.
Earlier, two additional sources told Amu that the Taliban’s Ministry of Finance delayed salary payments to Interior Ministry employees due to the ministry’s non-compliance with the staffing reduction order. A source within the Interior Ministry said employees have not received their salaries for the past two months.
In response to pressure from the Finance Ministry, Haqqani reportedly offered to cover salaries from his personal budget but refused to implement the 20% reduction, according to multiple sources.
“The opposition stems from Haqqani’s desire to retain individuals he trusts within the ministry,” one source said.
The Taliban Finance Ministry had also withheld salaries from the Taliban’s ministries of Defense and Education over the same issue. However, those payments have reportedly resumed, with sources confirming that the situation in both ministries has returned to normal.
Mohammad Arif Rahmani, a former member of parliament, said the dispute underscores longstanding internal rifts among Taliban leaders.
“The core disagreement is between Hibatullah Akhundzada and Sirajuddin Haqqani,” Rahmani said. “Since Akhundzada became the Taliban’s leader, tensions between them have existed at various levels.”
The Taliban have not issued any formal statement in response to the latest reports. Spokespersons have previously denied the existence of internal divisions within the group.
Akhundzada’s original order for a 20% reduction in public staffing was issued last year as part of a broad cost-cutting initiative. The ongoing resistance to its enforcement, particularly within the Interior Ministry, now appears to be a key point of contention within the Taliban leadership.
