AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Local sources emphasized to ABNA News Agency that yesterday (Wednesday, September 23), in continuation of the process of closing Shia centers by the Taliban, a number of important Shia centers in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, faced closure and suspension.
In recent months, the Taliban government has launched a widespread wave of closures and seizures of Shia religious, scientific, and cultural centers in Afghanistan. These actions, mainly justified by claims of party affiliation or seizure of government land, have created serious concerns about restrictions on religious and cultural freedoms.
Tamaddon Television Network, the most important and active media outlet of Afghanistan's Shias, was suspended in late June 2026, and its equipment was transferred by Taliban forces from the network's building. The Khatam al-Nabiyyin (p.b.u.h.) Seminary, the largest Shia religious center in Kabul, was besieged and completely evacuated in mid-September 2026. A few days later, on September 16, Khatam al-Nabiyyin University was also closed with the cancellation of its operating license by the Ministry of Higher Education.
The Supreme Shia Commission of Afghanistan, which had been created by the government itself, the Khatam al-Anbiya (p.b.u.h.) Complex, and the Shahid Mazari Mosque in western Kabul were also blocked and sealed by Taliban forces in the final days of September 2026. The officials of this complex were arrested and the buildings were sealed.
Yesterday as well, in continuation of this process, the Rasul Akram (p.b.u.h.) Mosque, the Maywand Sports Club, and the office of Sayed Hashem Javadi Balkhabi in Kabul were closed.
These actions indicate the Taliban's serious determination to restrict Afghanistan's Shia institutions and have sparked widespread protests among the country's Shia community; even Afghanistan's representative to the United Nations at the Security Council meeting on this country 10 days ago had expressed concern about pressure on Shias and the arrest of Afghan Shia figures by the Taliban.
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