Taliban Leader Orders Crackdown on Human Trafficking

The leader of the Afghan Taliban movement, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has issued a decree directing government agencies to combat human trafficking in Afghanistan.

According to the German Press Agency, Taliban government spokesperson Hamidullah Fertat said in a statement on Sunday that the decree instructs the Ministry of Interior to identify human traffickers, arrest them, and prosecute them in military courts across the country.

The decree stipulates prison sentences ranging from one to three years for traffickers who assist and exploit desperate Afghans seeking to flee the country, often using dangerous routes.

There is a large Afghan community abroad, with an estimated 7.5 million Afghan refugees living in neighboring countries.

Decades of war, fighting, and instability have forced millions of Afghans to flee their homes.