In the northern province of Badakhshan, Afghanistan, a wave of violent protests against the Taliban has been witnessed in recent weeks.
These unusual demonstrations have been sparked by the militant group's aggressive implementation of its ban on illegal drugs, which serves as a vital source of income for tens of thousands of destitute farmers.
The Taliban has responded to these rallies with extreme force, shooting and killing several demonstrators and detaining numerous locals. Observers suggest that these anti-Taliban protests expose the resentment towards the hard-line Islamist group's unpopular policies and its oppressive methods to suppress opposition.
Nazifa Haqpal, a British-based Afghan researcher, warns, "This is an alarm bell for the ruling Taliban. The Taliban's despotic governance based on brute force is not working." Almost three years after the Taliban's takeover, the group has shown scant interest in "understanding [Afghans'] issues or adopting appropriate policies" to address them, Haqpal adds.
Protests erupted on May 3-4 in Badakhshan's Darayim and Argo districts following clashes between Taliban forces assigned to eradicate poppy crops and the farmers. Locals reported that the Taliban opened fire, resulting in two fatalities. Although the Taliban dispatched a delegation to negotiate with the farmers and later claimed that peace had been restored, protests flared up again in the Argo district on May 13. The Taliban's violent response resulted in two more deaths and over a dozen injuries, according to locals.
Shamsuddin Mubarez, a resident of the Argo district, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, "People did not want their crops to be destroyed." He added that the Taliban's forceful response to the protests led to "more troubles."
Since reclaiming power in 2021, the Taliban has imposed harsh restrictions on women, conducted a brutal crackdown on dissent, and monopolized power. The group's extremist policies have incensed Afghans and turned its unrecognized government into an international outcast.
The Taliban's 2022 drug ban has significantly curtailed opium production. However, the group has failed to provide farmers with alternative sources of income and crops, pushing many further into poverty amidst a severe economic and humanitarian crisis.
Graeme Smith, a senior Afghanistan analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the Taliban's narcotics ban has particularly impacted farmers in mountainous regions like Badakhshan, who have smaller and less productive farms. "Farmers do not have large stockpiles and little or nothing in reserve to sell," he said.
The violent protests in Badakhshan are not isolated incidents. On May 9, the Taliban killed at least four people following a rally in the eastern province of Nangarhar, which borders Pakistan. The militants ordered locals to vacate their homes to make way for the construction of a customs clearing facility. When locals resisted the demolition and blocked a major highway, the Taliban responded by opening fire on the crowd.
Smith noted that it was no coincidence that there has been unrest in Nangarhar and Badakhshan, which significantly contributed to the ranks of the armed forces of the former Western-backed Afghan government. "Now the survivors from those defeated forces are suffering high levels of unemployment," he said.
Badakhshan, a predominantly ethnic Tajik region, was once a stronghold of resistance to the Taliban in the 1990s. The Taliban is primarily composed of Pashtuns.
Haqpal suggests that the protests are evidence of the "political and legal consciousness" that was formed in Afghanistan after the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 toppled the Taliban's first regime. She warns that the Taliban could face an "Afghan Spring" if such "protests get organized and spread."
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