KABUL: The Taliban administration is reportedly pursuing a modified version of an American plan for implementing mass surveillance across major cities in Afghanistan, with the goal of countering potential attacks by various militant groups, including Islamic State. While the primary intention appears to be enhancing security, concerns arise regarding its potential application for enforcing Taliban control over urban areas.
The Taliban has engaged in discussions with Huawei, a Chinese telecommunications company that is blacklisted by the United States, to collaborate on the development of this surveillance program, as stated by Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Interior. Qani characterized the discussions with Huawei as a “simple chat.” However, Huawei has countered this assertion, stating that no specific plans were discussed during their interaction with the Taliban.
Afghanistan’s Mass Surveillance Project
The proposed surveillance system is intended to be deployed at strategically significant locations within Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, as well as other major cities. This initiative is part of a broader security strategy that is anticipated to span four years and necessitate substantial resources for its implementation.
Abdul Mateen Qani explained, “At present, we are working on a Kabul security map, which is being developed by security experts and is a time-consuming process. We already have two maps, one created by the United States for the previous government, and the second by Turkey.”
While the United States originally initiated work on such surveillance plans before the evacuation of American personnel from Afghanistan in August 2021, a US government spokesperson clarified that they would not be “partnering” with the Taliban on these initiatives. The State Department stressed that the Taliban bears the responsibility of ensuring that they do not provide safe haven to terrorist groups.
