Taliban military officials in Herat say personnel stationed at the Highway Battalion along the Islam Qala route have discovered and confiscated 10 metal-detecting devices.
Saifuddin Sifatullah, commander of the Taliban’s Highway Battalion in Herat, said that one person had been arrested in connection with the transportation of the devices.
The Herat provincial branch of the Bakhtar News Agency reported today (Tuesday, 11 August), quoting Sifatullah, that the devices are used to detect metal objects buried underground.
According to the report, the case of the detained individual will be referred to the Taliban’s judicial authorities.
The Taliban have declared private activities involving the discovery, excavation, and trade of historical artifacts “illegal.”
The group’s Ministry of Information and Culture has urged citizens to hand over any historical artifacts they discover to the local departments of Information and Culture.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
