The Taliban-run National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) announced Sunday that it has issued electronic identity cards to 12.288 million people across Afghanistan since the start of their distribution.
The Taliban-controlled National Television, citing the NSIA, reported that 7.1 million identity cards were issued to men and 5.1 million to women.
The NSIA noted that the majority of these electronic identity cards were distributed in major cities and densely populated provinces, including Kabul, Herat, Nangarhar, Balkh, and Kandahar. Specifically, 5.567 million cards were issued in Kabul, over 796,000 in Herat, 645,000 in Nangarhar, more than 508,000 in Balkh, and 343,000 in Kandahar.
More than six million electronic ID cards have been distributed since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
While the number of electronic identity cards distributed in other provinces has not been disclosed, the NSIA mentioned that 75 electronic ID distribution centers are operational throughout the country. Additionally, mobile teams are actively distributing these cards.
Following their ascent to power in August 2021, the Taliban stated their intention to conduct a census of Afghanistan’s population.
