KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Sources in Jebrail district of Herat province say Taliban authorities have closed around 100 shops following a land ownership dispute involving an individual who has claimed ownership of parts of the central area of the township. Three residents have also reportedly been arrested in connection with the dispute.
A source told local media that shops in Jebrail’s covered market were closed on Saturday, September 5, and remain shut. Sources said the closures were linked to a dispute over ownership of land in the area.
According to one source, a man identified as Sayed Habib has recently claimed ownership of parts of central Jebrail. The source said Habib is a close associate of Sayed Hossein Anwari, a former governor of Herat.
The source added that Habib has claimed ownership of approximately 50 jeribs of land in central Jebrail, including the area where the busy market is located.
According to the sources, individuals making the ownership claim recently came to the area accompanied by Taliban forces. Local residents asked them to provide documents proving their ownership. The Taliban’s 13th District police station subsequently arrested three Jebrail residents, the sources said.
The detainees were identified as Mohammad Hossein Hosseini, Haji Didar and Salehi. Sources said they have been in Taliban custody since last week.
The sources said they did not have detailed information about the legal basis of the ownership claim or the documents presented by the claimant.
Taliban officials in Herat have so far made no public comment on the closure of the shops or the reported arrests.
The closure of shops in Herat’s Jebrail area comes amid broader land-ownership disputes and efforts by Taliban authorities to assert state control over contested properties. In Kabul, the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice has moved to enforce a ruling declaring more than 1,500 jeribs of land in Omid-e-Sabz Township, also known as Haji Nabi Township, state-owned.
On August 3, the ministry said its Special Court for State Seized Land Cases had confirmed state ownership of 1,507.49 jeribs, or about 301 hectares, in Districts 6 and 13, and referred the ruling for implementation, potentially requiring residents and property owners to vacate land deemed state-owned.
A similar dispute is unfolding around the Khatam al-Nabieen seminary in Kabul. Taliban authorities have claimed that the complex was built on government-owned land, while seminary officials say they have legal documents proving their ownership and that the case remains before a Taliban court without a final ruling. On Saturday, Taliban forces reportedly detained 12 instructors from the seminary. Mohammad Jawad Mohseni, head of Tamadon TV, said the arrests were intended to pressure seminary officials to vacate the premises.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have launched a nationwide campaign to review ownership claims over residential townships, urban developments and agricultural land. Taliban authorities argue that large areas of public land were illegally occupied, transferred or sold under previous governments and should be returned to state control.
The campaign, however, has raised concerns among residents and property owners in a number of affected developments. They argue that they purchased their properties through documented contracts and transactions recognized at the time of sale, and say they risk losing homes and investments despite having acquired them in good faith.
