In continuation of the ethnic-based policies in the Taliban government structure, the process of removing Tajik figures from key positions in the northern and northeastern provinces continues. The complete Pashtunization of the Taliban government’s administrative structure in the northern provinces continues. In the most recent case, the Taliban government has removed Mawlawi Mahbubullah Hamid, the Tajik commander of the “Omar Salis” sect, from his position in Badakhshan and appointed him as the deputy governor of Ghor. Local sources say that Mawlawi Hamid was one of the influential Taliban figures in Badakhshan and played an important role in the fall of the province to the Taliban. However, the Taliban has consistently removed Tajik figures from key positions in the Badakhshan local administration and replaced them with Pashtuns, especially from Kandahar province. These transfers have created a wave of dissatisfaction among Tajik Taliban members in Badakhshan, but their protests have so far yielded no results.
