Exclusive: Assets & Homes of Former Political Leaders Taken Over By Taliban Officials

Afghanistan International has learned that Taliban officials have seized the personal assets of several leaders and officials of the former Afghan government.

According to sources, Taliban officials have plundered the assets of Mir Rahman Rahmani, Atta Mohammad Noor, and other former officials.

With the rapid fall of the previous government and the Taliban's return to Afghan cities in the summer of 2021, many Afghan politicians abandoned their assets and left Afghanistan; a significant number of political leaders did not wish to live under Taliban control due to their staunch stance against the group.

Abdul Rashid Dostum, Karim Khalili, Yunus Qanooni, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Salahuddin Rabbani, Rahmatullah Nabil, Atta Mohammad Noor, Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, and Mohammad Ismail Khan are among the leaders who left Afghanistan following the fall of the previous government.

According to information received by Afghanistan International, Taliban officials have seized the assets and homes of several of these politicians.

Afghanistan International has obtained information indicating that Manan Omari, one of the founders of the Taliban group, has "seized" the house and vehicles of Mir Rahman Rahmani, the former Speaker of the Afghan Lower House of Parliament.

Meanwhile, Idris Anwar, the Taliban's deputy governor in Parwan, has taken over the house and assets of Amanullah Guzar, a jihadi commander, and his brothers.

Information indicates that the houses of Ghulam Bahauddin Jailani, the former Minister of State for Disaster Management, have been seized by Qari Sadiq, the Taliban's intelligence chief in Parwan.

Sources told Afghanistan International that the guesthouse of Atta Mohammad Noor, a leader of one of the factions of Jamiat e Islami, has been seized by the Taliban governor in Balkh, and his garden has been taken over by the Taliban's security chief in the province.

Information shows that the Taliban in Parwan have converted the house of Jan Ahmad Haqjo, a former commander, into the headquarters of the Second Security District of the province.

The Taliban's mayor in Mazar-e Sharif has plundered the house and garden of Fazluddin Ayar, the former governor of Parwan.

However, the Taliban had previously stated that they would return the properties and assets of former government officials to their owners.

Contrary to this claim, however, the group has, since gaining power, seized the houses and assets of several political figures and former officials, converting them into military bases for their personnel.

This group had previously seized the house and vehicles of Ismail Khan, a former jihadi leader in Herat city.

According to our information, Sufi Gardizi, a Taliban member, is living in Mohammad Mohaqiq's house. Some sources said that the Taliban had also seized the house of General Murad Ali Murad.

Reports indicate that two months after gaining control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban destroyed the house of Rahmatullah Nabil, the former head of Afghan National Security, in Maidan Wardak province.

Photos of Nabil's house have been circulated, showing it reduced to ruins.

Hashmat Ghani Ahmadzai, brother of former President Ashraf Ghani, said in 2022 that Ibrahim Haqqani, a senior member of the Haqqani network, had "seized" Ashraf Ghani's house.

Fazl Ahmad Manawi, the former Minister of Justice of Afghanistan, also announced in 2022 that the Taliban had burned down his house and library in Panjshir province. Manawi told Afghanistan International: "There were many old and valuable books there."

Recently, the Taliban evicted Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hizb-e-Islami, from his residence and office in Kabul. The Taliban claimed that Hekmatyar was living on government land. They accused him of seizing government land, but Hekmatyar argued he was residing there based on an agreement with the previous government.

While the Taliban continues to seize land and assets of former officials, the group has established a commission to prevent land grabbing.

The exact number of houses and assets of political leaders and former government officials that have fallen into the hands of the Taliban is not currently known.