Taliban members demolished residential homes with bulldozers in the Zamri Qala area of Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, forcing families from their properties, according to video footage from the scene.
Residents said they were ordered to vacate the area before their homes were razed. They maintained that they had lived there for nearly three decades and possessed land ownership documents dating back to the reign of former Afghan monarch Zahir Shah.
Video from the scene also shows an elderly resident with his hands tied using cloth from his turban while being subjected to physical abuse. Residents said around 30 people were also detained during the operation.
The Taliban, however, said the affected families had been illegally occupying the land and had been instructed to leave before the demolition began.
The Helmand operation adds to a wider pattern of unrest and coercive enforcement actions across Afghanistan. In Badakhshan, armed confrontations have been reported between Taliban leadership and local commanders linked to disputes over governance and control of strategic gold mining areas. In Herat, authorities have faced criticism following shootings involving local communities, subsequent detentions, and an intensified crackdown that has included restrictions on women. Reports from Mazar-i-Sharif and Panjshir have also pointed to incidents of property demolitions and displacement, further highlighting rising tensions between local populations and Taliban authorities in multiple regions.
