Web Desk: Taliban intelligence officers raided the Kabul headquarters of Afghanistan’s largest private media company, detaining journalists, seizing equipment and searching employees’ phones in a move that deepened concerns over mounting pressure on independent media under Taliban rule.
Witnesses and sources familiar with the incident said dozens of intelligence personnel entered the compound housing TOLOnews and the MOBY Group on Sunday afternoon and blocked access to the premises for more than four hours.
According to the sources, the officers gathered contact information from staff, visitors and guests while confiscating laptops and inspecting personal mobile phones. Several people were allegedly assaulted after objecting to the searches, the sources added.
The raid followed the recent arrests of two TOLOnews journalists, including current affairs director Emran Danish and television presenter Mansoor Niazi.
Sources said Danish was detained late Saturday after leaving the broadcaster’s office, while Niazi was arrested last week in western Kabul. Both men remain in Taliban custody, according to individuals familiar with the matter.
Taliban authorities have not issued a public statement regarding either the raid or the detentions.
The operation marked another blow to Afghanistan’s fragile independent media sector, which has faced growing restrictions since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Over the past week alone, Taliban authorities have detained at least three journalists, including Jawed Niazi, editor of the Paigard news agency, according to media advocates.
Press freedom organizations say at least seven journalists are currently being held by Taliban authorities. Those reportedly detained include Bashir Hatef, Hamid Farhadi, Shakib Nazari and Abuzar Sarem.
Meanwhile, rights groups have intensified calls for accountability.
In a statement issued Monday, Amnesty International urged Taliban authorities to disclose the whereabouts of detained journalists and warned that arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances appeared to reflect a broader campaign aimed at intimidating independent media outlets.
Separately, Nai in Exile, an Afghan media advocacy organization operating outside the country, called on the United Nations and the European Union to pressure the Taliban into releasing detained journalists.
Media watchdogs say conditions for Afghan journalists have deteriorated sharply over the past three years as censorship, intimidation and security threats have increased.
In its latest World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Afghanistan 175th out of 180 countries, citing extensive restrictions on reporting and press activity.
The organisation has also reported that dozens of media outlets have ceased operations since the Taliban takeover, while many journalists have either fled Afghanistan or left the profession because of safety concerns and mounting political pressure.
Advocacy groups warn that continued arrests, raids and intimidation campaigns are rapidly narrowing the space for independent journalism and limiting public access to information across Afghanistan.
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