Bribery & corruptionMisused public fundsOversight & ethics enforcement

Taliban intelligence reportedly arrested Kabul's mayor and about 20 district officials on corruption charges; the municipality denies the arrest

Confidence: Corroborated · 3 sourcesKabul · Oct 12, 2026

Subject of this story

Mawlawi Abdul Rashid, Taliban-appointed Mayor of Kabul

Also named

Oversight

General Directorate of Intelligence (Taliban)

What happened

Afghan outlets KabulNow and DID Press, citing unnamed sources, reported that Taliban intelligence detained Mawlawi Abdul Rashid, the Taliban-appointed mayor of Kabul since October 2021, on corruption allegations on Saturday June 20, 2026, along with about 20 Kabul district officials. Amu TV, citing sources, reported he was held in Kandahar for nearly three weeks after traveling there to contest the dismissal of at least 42 municipal officials accused of corruption. A Kabul Municipality spokesman, Nematullah Barakzai, denied that Rashid was arrested and called the corruption allegations false. The reports have not been independently verified. In the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, Afghanistan ranked 169th of 182 countries (KabulNow).

By the numbers (1)

● confirmed by a primary document · ○ reported

Figures

○

Sources told KabulNow that Taliban-appointed Kabul mayor Mawlawi Abdul Rashid was arrested on corruption charges on 20 June 2026 and that 20 district officials in Kabul were also detained; Taliban spokespersons had not commented.

Mawlawi Abdul RashidMerged duplicate #64; 'about 20' corrected to 20 per source.

1 source

KabulNowMawlawi Abdul Rashid, the Taliban's mayor in Kabul, has been arrested on charges of corruption

Sources (3)

KabulNowCredible sources have told KabulNow that Mawlawi Abdul Rashid, the Taliban's mayor in Kabul, has been arrested on charges of corruption... along with the Taliban mayor of Kabul, 20 district officials in Kabul have also been detained.

Amu TVTaliban's Kabul mayor detained in Kandahar for three weeks, sources say.

DID Press AgencyTaliban-Appointed Kabul Mayor Reportedly Detained on Corruption Allegations.

Response

Mawlawi Abdul Rashid

No response by publication

Contacted — no response by publication.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

I saw an update

Take action →