Chinese Company Huawei Assisting Taliban in Monitoring Afghan Population
The Afghan government, led by the Taliban, is collaborating with Huawei Technologies, a Chinese company, to establish an extensive video surveillance system across the country aimed at identifying insurgents and terrorist activities, as reported by sources familiar with the negotiations, according to Bloomberg agency.
According to a Bloomberg interlocutor, representatives of the Chinese technology company based in Shenzhen met with officials from the Afghan Ministry of Interior on August 14 and reached a verbal agreement on the contract.
The Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan initially posted images and details of the meeting on X, a social media platform formerly known as Twitter. In one of the posts, spokesperson Mufti Abdul Matin Qani stated that the modern video surveillance system is being considered "in every province of Afghanistan."
The posts, later deleted, included comments from Abdullah Mukhtar, deputy minister of the ministry. "We are ready to accept projects that are the best in terms of quality and price," he said.
However, Huawei contradicts this information.
"The reports about this meeting do not correspond to reality. No plans or agreements were discussed," says a statement from Huawei, sent via email. Taliban spokespersons have not responded immediately to requests for comments.
An individual familiar with the course of the meeting, who requested anonymity to discuss the deal, said that the system is mainly intended for tracking ISIS members in Afghanistan, as well as other militants. However, there is no doubt that such a system will also be used for monitoring the civilian population.
The local branch of the "Islamic State of Syria and Iraq" is considered one of the major security threats to the Taliban and is responsible for deadly attacks in Afghanistan last year.
Recalling an earlier development, it became known about another radical step by the Taliban in the fight for "social morality." Representatives of the ultra-radical Islamic movement started burning musical instruments, stating that music "causes moral degradation."
It is reported that guitars, accordions, drums, amplifiers, and speakers were burned in Herat. Most of the instruments and equipment were confiscated by the Taliban from wedding venues across the city.
A representative of the Taliban's ministry of virtue and vice stated that playing musical instruments "distracts the youth from the true path."