Residents of the Pul-e Khushk area in western Kabul say Taliban have demolished homes, shops and other private properties as part of a road construction project, without compensation and in some cases without prior notice.
The demolitions, which residents say intensified in recent days in the Dasht-e Barchi neighborhood, have left parts of the area covered in rubble and dust as construction crews continue work on a planned roadway connecting the area to Qala-e Qazi.
Several residents told Amu TV that the destroyed properties were privately owned and that families and shopkeepers had received no payment for the losses.
“This was private property that was destroyed,” said Murtaza, a local resident who said his property had also been affected. “The authorities say they are building roads as part of development projects, but people have lost their homes and businesses.”
Residents said dozens of houses and shops along both sides of the planned road had already been demolished.
Some residents, speaking on condition of anonymity because of fears of retaliation, said Taliban forces had entered parts of the neighborhood at night and pressured families to leave before demolition work began.
Local sources also told Amu TV that Taliban warned residents against organizing protests or publicly objecting to the project.
Another resident, Hashim, said many local shopkeepers had lost their only source of income.
“Our shops were destroyed for the road construction,” he said. “Now the whole area is filled with dust and debris.”
Images and videos shared with Amu TV show damaged buildings, bulldozers operating in residential areas and piles of rubble lining sections of the road project.
Taliban have not publicly commented on the complaints or addressed questions about compensation.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have expanded infrastructure and road construction projects in Kabul and other cities, presenting them as efforts to modernize urban areas and improve transportation networks.
But residents in several neighborhoods of Kabul have increasingly raised concerns about forced demolitions, evictions and the absence of legal protections or compensation mechanisms for affected families.
Rights advocates and legal experts say disputes over land ownership and redevelopment have become more difficult to challenge under Taliban rule because of weakened judicial oversight and limited avenues for public protest.
