Taliban detains 14 for playing music, singing at Afghanistan private gathering

Taliban fighters

Authorities in northern Afghanistan have arrested 14 individuals for playing musical instruments and singing during a private gathering, provincial police said on Saturday.

This was a practice banned under the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islamic law.

The police said in a statement that on Thursday night in the capital of northern Takhar province, “fourteen individuals… took advantage of the nighttime to gather in a residential house where they were playing musical instruments and singing songs, which caused disturbance to the public”.

Since regaining control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have reimposed severe limitations on music and public entertainment, similar to those enforced during their previous rule from 1996 to 2001.