By: Sherin Yousfi
Maryam and her brother were on their way home from work when they were attacked by three men wielding knives and weapons in Naqqash area of Dasht-e-Barchi at around 7 p.m. on September 6.
The brother resisted at first, hoping passerby would come to his aid. But no one intervened to help, fearing for their own safety. He quickly gave up after being stabbed in the arm. Both siblings gave their smartphones and money to the robbers, who fled the scene.
“I didn’t go to the office for several days,” said 26-year-old Maryam, who works in a private firm. “I don’t even dare to leave the house.”
This wasn’t an isolated case. Armed robberies, burglaries, theft and other crimes have spiked to an underrepresented level in western Kabul, home to over a million residents.
The Taliban say they have brought security in the capital after taking control of the government.
But local residents say security is nonexistent, criticizing the Taliban for not being able to police and protect them against criminals.
Mehrmaah, a 41-year-old resident of Regration neighborhood in west Kabul whose house was robbed two weeks ago, said criminals have disrupted the people’s peace in the city.
Mehrmaah left her home unattended only for half an hour when she went out to buy groceries.
“When I returned home, I saw the lock of the gate was broken and the thieves had robbed everything from our home,” she said.
She said the burglars broke the locks of a closet where she kept cash and jewelry, and stole everything she had.
“The whole family was very scared,” she said. “We are not safe in broad daylight.”
The crime rate was almost as high during the former government. But the people largely trusted the police and would file complaints about robberies and other crimes when they happened.
Under the Taliban’s government, however, the residents have little trust in the police and the crime victims often don’t dare to file complaints, fearing it would put them in further trouble.
Roya Nikzad, a 24-year-old resident of the west of Kabul, said that she leaves her house with fear everyday.
“The Taliban have killed us for years in education centers and mosques,” she said. “Now we cannot expect security from them.”
And some crime victims who have filed complaints say the Taliban’s fighters-turned-police officers aren’t able to fight against crimes.
Qamar, another west Kabul resident, said she and her family returned from a wedding at 11 p.m. and found their house robbed around a month ago.
She said she filed a complaint to the Taliban’s police at 18th district but haven’t heard back from them yet.
“The Taliban said, ‘go we will follow up,’ but there is no news yet,” she said. “The thieves took a hundred thousands cash and other valuables from our house.”
That sentiment was shared by Maryam, the victim who was robbed on September 6.
“We did not file a complaint to the Taliban because we know they can’t do anything,” she added.
Armed robberies continue even after the Taliban’s repeated house-to-house search operations in Kabul in which they said they seized large amounts of unlicensed weapons.
West Kabul is a predominantly Hazara Shia neighborhood which was devastated by deadly terrorist attacks, mainly claimed by Isis-K terror group, during the former government.
Many hoped that with the Taliban’s return to power those bloody attacks would end. But that hope quickly dashed.
At least ten major explosions, including suicide bombings, have occurred in west Kabul since the Taliban took power one year ago, leaving hundreds dead and wounded.
Nabila, a 46-year-old mother of four, said she didn’t let her oldest son to go to school this year because she was worried he might get killed by suicide attackers or criminals.
Seddiqa, 25, said she wears comfortable shoes when she leaves home, so she can run away if something happens.
“Honestly, every moment any incident can happen in west Kabul because there is no one taking care of Barchi’s security,” she added.
