On Thursday evening, the Taliban held a poetry recital at the National Radio and Television of Afghanistan hall to mark the fifth anniversary of the group’s return to power. Images released from the event show several Taliban officials using smartphones.
The images were published despite an earlier report about a ban on the use of smartphones by Taliban members and government employees. According to a document obtained in Jawza 1405 (May–June 2026), Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had verbally ordered a ban on the use of smartphones.
According to the document, individuals who violate the order will be considered “criminals” and face judicial action. The order also states that violators will be referred to military courts.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Justice communicated the directive to the heads of military courts affiliated with the military deputy of the Taliban Supreme Court across the country’s eight zones. Security commanders and intelligence chiefs in those zones were also informed of the order.
Following the issuance of the directive, a campaign emerged among some lower-ranking Taliban employees. Some employees smashed their smartphones and posted images and videos of the act on social media.
Hibatullah Akhundzada is opposed to photography and filming and considers them incompatible with his interpretation of Islamic law. Over the past nearly five years, only one official image of him has been released a passport-style photograph.
No other official photograph or video of Akhundzada appearing in public has been released to date, and he has been kept almost entirely out of the public and media spotlight. Restrictions on the use of smartphones and the publication of photographs and videos have also become a source of disagreement among Taliban officials.
Following the issuance of the order, several Taliban institutions and officials stopped publishing photographic and video reports of their activities. However, some officials and institutions have continued to publish images and videos, disregarding the directive.
The enforcement of the smartphone ban has also disrupted the operations of several Taliban-run government institutions. Government employees have said that restrictions on tools such as WhatsApp and email have created significant difficulties in official correspondence and administrative coordination.
The images released from the ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, showing several officials from the group using smartphones, have once again raised questions about how the ban is being enforced and the extent to which Taliban officials are complying with it.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
