Sources from western Kabul reported that the Taliban has destroyed the statue of Abdul Ali Mazari, the former leader of Hezb-e-Wahdat Islami, at the Pul-e Sokhta intersection in Kabul.

According to local residents, on Saturday night, the Taliban defaced the statue of Mazari with a drill and then covered it with plaster.

Residents told Afghanistan International that on Sunday, the presence of Taliban members at the Pul-e Sokhta square was higher than usual, preventing people from taking photos of the damaged statue.

Witnesses said that on Saturday night, Taliban members struck the face of Abdul Ali Mazari’s statue with a drill and nails, causing damage to it.

They added that another group of Taliban members then attempted to cover the damaged part of the statue with plaster.

Locals say that some other statues at the Pul-e Sokhta intersection have been destroyed too.

The Taliban has not yet commented in this regard.

In a similar move in November 2021, the Taliban destroyed Abdul Ali Mazari’s statue in Bamiyan province and replaced it with a stone plaque bearing verses from the Quran.

Abdul Ali Mazari was the former leader of Hezb-e Wahdat party who was imprisoned and subsequently killed during the Taliban’s first reign in the 1995. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan had given him the title of “Martyr of National Unity”.

In another incident on Saturday, July 6, the Taliban destroyed the image of Amanullah Khan, a former king of Afghanistan, in Torkham, Nangarhar province, and replaced it with their flag.