The Taliban intelligence raided the compound of TOLOnews and the MOBY Group in Kabul on Sunday afternoon, detaining journalists, confiscating equipment and searching staff members’ phones, according to sources familiar with the incident.
Sources told Amu TV that at least 40 members of the Taliban’s intelligence agency entered the compound Sunday afternoon and sealed the premises for more than four hours.
According to the sources, the agents collected phone numbers from staff members, guests and visitors, confiscated laptops and searched personal mobile phones.
Several individuals were reportedly beaten after resisting the searches, the sources said.
The reported raid came days after Taliban detained Emran Danish, head of current affairs at TOLOnews, and TV anchor Mansoor Niazi.
Sources previously told Amu TV that Mr. Danish was detained after leaving the office on Saturday night, while Mr. Niazi was arrested last week on Thursday in western Kabul.
Both journalists remain in Taliban custody, according to sources familiar with the case.
Taliban have not publicly commented on the raid or the detentions.
The incident marks a significant escalation in pressure on Afghanistan’s already weakened independent media sector.
Over the past week, Taliban have detained at least three journalists, including Jawed Niazi, editor of the Paigard news agency.
Media advocacy groups say at least seven journalists are currently being held in Taliban custody, including Bashir Hatef, Hamid Farhadi, Shakib Nazari and Abuzar Sarem.
In a statement on Monday, Amnesty International called on the Taliban to reveal the whereabouts of detained journalists and warned that arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances appeared to be part of a broader pattern of intimidation against independent media.
Nai in Exile, a media advocacy organization operating abroad, also urged the United Nations and the European Union to pressure Taliban to release detained journalists.
Press freedom groups say conditions for journalists have deteriorated sharply since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
In its latest World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Afghanistan 175th out of 180 countries, citing censorship, intimidation and restrictions on journalists.
The organization has reported that dozens of Afghan media outlets have shut down since the Taliban takeover, while many journalists have fled the country or abandoned the profession because of mounting pressure and security fears.
Media advocates warn that continued arrests, raids and intimidation are further shrinking the space for independent reporting and public access to information in Afghanistan.
