After Ghani govt fell, Taliban commander took over radio station in Laghman

Taliban’s love for radio stations is quite old. In its earlier stint at ruling Afghanistan, it used to run a radio station for various purposes.

The love seems to have grown with time. Now, it seems to have allegedly taken over a radio station in Laghman province by force as it did for the whole country a few months back.

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As per reports, the head of Radio Khyber Nawekht, a local radio station, said that a local commander affiliated with the Islamic Emirate stormed into the radio compound and took over its control after the fall of the former government.

Hamid Khyber, head of the radio station, said, “On the first day the Taliban came to power, a local commander took custody of the compound. In addition, the Taliban threatened the journalists with death. So, the operations were halted.”

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“The broadcasting has stopped and our colleagues are facing a lot of challenges,” said Salahuddin Ahmadzai, a journalist, who works at the station.

Although the local commander is yet to provide details, the interior ministry said that an investigation is underway.

Saeed Khosti, spokesman, interior ministry, said, “Our request from the people is that if the Mujahideen station themselves in their houses or offices, contact the nearby officials. They will pass on the case to us.”

(With inputs from agencies)