KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Sources say the Hazrat Fatima al-Zahra Clinic, also known as the “Iranians’ Clinic,” in western Kabul was closed by the Taliban on Sunday, September 27.
A source told KabulNow that the clinic was shut down around noon on Sunday, following an order from the Taliban authorities.
The source said clinic staff were informed that the area had been “declared a green zone,” without providing further details about what the designation means or why it required the clinic to close.
The Hazrat Fatima al-Zahra Clinic was located in the Madrasa area in western Kabul and had been established by an Iranian organization, the Parsian Green Support Charitable Foundation.
The clinic was located next to the Khatam-ul-Anbiya Religious Seminary, which was also sealed by Taliban forces several days ago.
Taliban officials have not publicly commented on the closure of the clinic or explained the reason for the measure.
The closure comes amid a series of restrictions and closures affecting religious, educational and community institutions in western Kabul. The Khatam-ul-Anbiya Seminary, which was adjacent to the clinic, was among the facilities recently blocked by Taliban forces. Details about the authorities’ stated reasons for sealing the seminary have not been publicly clarified.
On Monday, September 21, the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice reportedly dissolved the High Shia Commission of Afghanistan, confiscating the membership cards of 25 members and ordering them not to return to the commission’s office. The commission had reportedly been established with the support and coordination of the Taliban’s intelligence agency.
Taliban authorities have raided the Khatam al-Nabieen complex in Kabul and moved to shut down its religious seminary and university. The university’s operating license was later revoked.
The Taliban have also taken measures against Tamadon TV, a Shia-affiliated broadcaster, and initiated legal proceedings to declare more than 1,500 jeribs of land in Kabul’s Omid-e-Sabz Township state-owned. Omid-e-Sabz is a Hazara-populated residential area in western Kabul, and the Taliban’s move to claim the land as state property has raised concerns among residents and community figures. In Herat’s Jebrail area, authorities have reportedly closed about 100 shops amid a dispute over land ownership and arrested several residents.
These developments have raised concerns among Shia and Hazara community figures and rights advocates, who say the measures reflect growing restrictions on their religious, social and economic institutions.
