Taliban intelligence forces in northern Balkh province have detained six shopkeepers who protested earlier this week against the demolition of their stalls in the second-hand clothing market of Mazar-e-Sharif, local sources said Thursday.
The sources told Amu TV that the detainees include Dawood, a representative of the shopkeepers, who was arrested Thursday morning, along with five others accused of organizing and following up on the demonstrations.
Shopkeepers say the Taliban demolished the market without prior notice, even though the stalls had been in operation for nearly 40 years and supported dozens of families. They added that Taliban authorities collected taxes from the businesses over the past four years but have now handed contracts for the sites to new individuals who plan to destroy them.
Taliban officials in Balkh said the demolitions were part of a plan approved by the Economic Commission in Kabul to redevelop the area into a new commercial market. Haji Zaid, the Taliban governor’s spokesman in Balkh, said the property belongs to the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs and has recently been leased to a private company.
