KABUL (Amu tv): Taliban have dismissed more than 200 professors and university employees in the southeastern provinces of Khost and Paktia as part of a sweeping campaign to downsize public institutions, according to four academic and administrative sources familiar with the matter.
In Khost, 120 faculty and staff members at Sheikh Zayed University were removed from their posts in a single day, a source at the university told Amu. The majority of those dismissed held advanced degrees, including master’s and doctorates, and had worked in government prior to the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
In neighboring Paktia, three sources confirmed that 90 employees at the province’s public university were also terminated. Among those dismissed were faculty members, junior administrative staff, and medical personnel affiliated with the university hospital.
The mass firings appear to align with a broader directive reportedly issued by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada to reduce the size of public sector institutions by 20 percent, including within the Taliban’s own security forces.
A source close to Sheikh Zayed University said many of those let go were seen as politically inconvenient, either because of their previous affiliations with the former Afghan government or because of academic independence that clashed with Taliban ideology.
Mohammad Asif Seddiqi, a former deputy speaker of the Afghan Senate, told Amu that the dismissals may reflect deeper internal tensions within the Taliban’s ranks. “Hibatullah Akhundzada wants to remove individuals aligned with the Haqqani network or other factions that oppose him,” Seddiqi said. “There are also financial motives, as the Taliban struggle with budget constraints. They are sidelining experts from the republic era after having learned from them, and replacing them with loyalists.”
In Logar Province, similar purges are underway. A Taliban source told Amu that 1,080 members of the Taliban’s security forces had been removed from their positions, including 600 from the police command, 400 from the Defense Ministry, and 80 from intelligence units.
Sources allege that the firings have been selective, sparing individuals with close ties to Taliban leadership, while disproportionately affecting those without political backing or those who had previously served in the former government.
Some civil servants say the layoffs appear to be targeting women and former republic-era staff under the guise of administrative reform. Several officials interviewed by Amu expressed concern that the process lacks transparency and fairness.
Economic experts warn that the reduction of qualified personnel could exacerbate the country’s already fragile economic conditions. Critics argue that the Taliban’s reliance on loyalty over expertise risks further institutional degradation.
While the Taliban have yet to issue an official response, the Taliban’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, acknowledged the downsizing earlier this month in an interview with Taliban-run state television. He described the move as part of efforts to “streamline” governance.
