KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban authorities briefly detained the principal of a girls’ school in central Daikundi province after she refused to hand over her smartphone during an enforcement operation, local sources reported.
The incident took place on Monday in the Sangtakht wa Bandar district, where Taliban fighters entered “Niswan Markaz Bandar High School” to collect mobile phones from teachers as part of an expanding ban on smartphone use in educational institutions and government offices.
According to the sources, school principal Tayeba Hafezi was taken into custody after she refused to hand over her device and remained detained until the evening of the same day.
Sources said Taliban members also beat and humiliated several teachers and students during the operation. Some fighters reportedly pointed their weapons at second and third-grade students, ordering them to disclose where teachers had hidden their mobile phones.
The detention highlights the Taliban’s expanding restrictions on smartphones. Earlier this month, the group’s supreme leader issued a verbal directive banning government employees from carrying or using the devices. A follow-up order reportedly sent to Taliban military courts instructed that violations of the order be treated as “offenders” subject to legal punishment.
The restrictions have already been implemented in several provinces, including Herat, Kandahar, Maidan Wardak, Ghor, Panjshir, Khost, and Paktia. In some areas, government employees have been told not to use smartphones even outside working hours, including at home.
In certain provinces, authorities have also established committees tasked with collecting smartphones from teachers, civil servants, and students as part of enforcement efforts.
The ban has prompted sharp criticism from citizens, government employees, civil society groups, and media rights organizations, who argue it further restricts access to information and disrupts communication within schools and government offices. Some government employees previously told KabulNow that the measures have complicated routine administrative work and disrupted official communication.
