KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban say they have collected nearly 75,000 beggars from the streets of Kabul as part of an ongoing campaign to curb begging in the Afghan capital.
The Office of the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday that a total of 74,968 beggars have so far been gathered from Kabul city.
According to the statement, 37,947 individuals were identified as “eligible beggars”, while 37,021 others were classified as “professional beggars.”
The office said eligible beggars have been referred to the Afghan Red Crescent Society (locally known as Sorkh-e-Miasht), where they receive monthly financial assistance through bank transfers. It added that some individuals have also been referred to the Ministry of Public Health for medical treatment, while others were sent to Kabul Municipality to be provided with employment opportunities.
Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, told the Commission for the Collection of Beggars and Prevention of Begging that the number of beggars in Kabul had initially declined following the campaign, but has recently begun to rise again.
He stressed the need for the commission to fully implement its operational procedures, calling for monthly meetings and regular reporting to his office.
The Taliban banned begging in 2022 and launched a nationwide campaign to collect beggars across several provinces.
Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada signed a document titled the “Law on the Collection of Beggars and Prevention of Begging,” under which begging as a profession is criminalized, while assistance is allocated for those deemed genuinely in need.
Critics and aid organizations, however, have repeatedly warned that widespread poverty, unemployment, and economic collapse following the Taliban takeover have pushed millions of Afghans into extreme hardship, making begging a survival strategy for many families.
