KABUL, AFGHANSITAN – Taliban authorities in eastern Khost province have burned 650 musical instruments collected from across the province over the past months, as the group continues its campaign against music and artistic expression.
In a statement, Mustaghfir Gurbaz, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Khost, said that the instruments, used to play and broadcast music, had been collected from the provincial capital and various districts before being set on fire on Wednesday.
The destruction is part of the Taliban’s broader crackdown on music and artistic expression since the group returned to power in August 2021.
Under the group’s strict interpretation of Islamic law, playing and listening to music are prohibited. Taliban authorities have repeatedly confiscated and destroyed musical instruments across the country, while also banning music from television and radio broadcasts.
Last month, Taliban authorities burned 69 musical instruments in northern Jawzjan province. In May, the group burned more than 800 instruments in Khost. Similar incidents were reported earlier this year in Parwan and Laghman provinces, where hundreds of instruments were destroyed.
Taliban morality police have also raided private gatherings, including wedding ceremonies, and detained musicians. Last week, a clash reportedly broke out after Taliban members intervened to stop music at a wedding in Badakhshan province, leaving one person dead and four others injured.
In July, Taliban morality police detained at least 14 people in eastern Nangarhar province for playing music at a private gathering.
Hundreds of musicians and artists have fled Afghanistan in recent years, while those who remain have been forced to abandon their professions and face the risk of intimidation, abuse and arrest.
