Taliban have dismissed hundreds of young men from Panjshir Province whom they had recently recruited into their police forces, citing distrust of locals from the region, according to local sources.
About four months ago, the Taliban brought 481 Panjshiri youths into the police after a decree by their leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada. At the time, the move was presented as a gesture of goodwill and “compassion” toward the province, which has long been a center of resistance to Taliban rule.
But in recent weeks, 270 of those recruits were dismissed, the sources said, adding that the remaining men were also expected to be gradually removed.
The dismissals follow earlier purges of Panjshir residents who had held security and government posts under the previous republic, when many were sidelined under the Taliban’s so-called downsizing measures.
The sources said the process reflects deep mistrust of Panjshiris, many of whom have opposed Taliban control since the 1990s. The province remains a symbolic and strategic heartland of opposition to the group.
Taliban officials have not publicly commented on the reported dismissals.
