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SHEBERGHAN (SW) – The Taliban rebels have imposed new regulations in Jawzjan province demanding share in dowry money from would-be brides' families.
A number of residents and governor of Kham Ab district told Salam Watandar the Taliban are forcefully extorting money from the dowry money of would-be brides here. The residents said the dowry money ranges here from AFN 500,000 to AFN 800,000, but the Taliban are collecting rest of it leaving only AFN 100,000 for the respective family of the would-be bride.
Gul Chehra, a 48-year-old women recently fled from Kham Ab district to settle in provincial capital, Sheberghan, along with her young daughters. She told SW the Taliban are extorting up to 90 per cent of the dowry money. She said the Taliban are punishing those not paying this money to them by publicly lashing them.
This woman said a number of families with young girls of marriage age are migrating from Kham Ab to Sheberghan and Mazar-e-Sharif.
A number of evidently frightened Kham Ab residents, who wished not to be named in the report, said the Taliban are busy in extortion of money under different pretexts.
The district governor, Ahmad, has confirmed the reports about the Taliban asking for share in the dowry money. He added a number of young men have also left the district.
However, the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed, has rejected these allegations.
Meanwhile, the spokesman for the provincial governor, Faredon Aneeq, has asserted that soon a clean-up operation would be launched here against the rebels.
The Khab Ab district has been under the clout of the Taliban for quite a while now.
ENDS
