RSF: Taliban Use Intelligence Unit 015 to Repress and Monitor Journalists

Bareen Media – Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says the Taliban are using a specialised intelligence unit known as Department 015 to monitor journalists, threaten and detain media workers, and impose the Taliban’s narrative on Afghan media.

In an investigative report published on Wednesday, 13 Aqrab, RSF revealed details of the unit’s activities within the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), saying it was established in August 2021 and operates in Kabul and across Afghanistan’s provinces.

According to the report, Department 015 monitors media outlets and social media platforms, identifies critical content, and summons or threatens journalists who criticise Taliban policies.

RSF says the unit’s operational division sometimes works with the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to raid media offices, detain journalists and confiscate their professional equipment.

The organisation referred to the Taliban raid on TOLOnews in May 2026 and raids on media organisations’ offices in July 2025.

At least 77 journalists detained since 2021

According to RSF, at least 77 journalists have been detained in Afghanistan since 2021, with periods of detention ranging from one week to two years.

The investigation includes testimonies from three journalists who spoke under pseudonyms due to security concerns. They described detention, torture, threats, and intimidation by Taliban intelligence officials.

One journalist, identified by the pseudonym Farhad, said Taliban agents covered his head with a black bag after his arrest and transferred him to an intelligence office in Kabul.

Farhad said he was accused of espionage and propaganda against the Islamic Emirate before being transferred to Department 015 several days later. He said he was held in a small cell for two weeks.

According to his testimony, intelligence officers interrogated him day and night and demanded that he reveal the identities of other journalists. He also described being beaten and subjected to electric shocks, adding that he continues to suffer from the consequences of torture.

Another journalist, identified as Ahmad, said pressure on the media began with restrictions on certain programmes and the removal of women journalists from media outlets.

He said media organisations were forced to sign commitments not to broadcast programmes featuring men and women together or interview opponents of the Taliban.

Ahmad added that he was summoned to Department 015 several times because of his critical reporting. On one occasion, he was forcibly taken to the facility and tortured.

He also recounted that Taliban agents took him to a hill in the middle of the night, placed a gun against his temple and threatened to kill him.

The journalist said he was later imprisoned on charges of propaganda against the Taliban. While held at Bagram prison, he also witnessed the mistreatment of prisoners, including having their hands and feet restrained and being punished with cold water.

Taliban accused of turning media into propaganda tools

A third journalist, identified as Abdul, who is now living in exile, told RSF that the Taliban are attempting to turn media outlets into instruments of their propaganda.

According to Abdul, Taliban officials pressured him not to report on women’s rights, security incidents and poverty. Instead, they wanted him to invite Taliban supporters to participate in media programmes.

RSF warned that threats against Afghan journalists continue even after they leave the country, with some journalists in exile receiving threats that they would be found and punished.

70.7 million Afghanis allocated for propaganda

The report further states that Department 015 has a specialised division responsible for monitoring online content and another division dedicated to propaganda, spreading disinformation and influencing public opinion.

According to RSF, the department also has a studio used to produce videos and record forced confessions from detainees.

The organisation referred to documents published in September 2026 by several Afghan media outlets in exile, which are reportedly believed to have originated from the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence.

According to these documents, 70.7 million Afghanis, equivalent to more than €900,000, were allocated for propaganda activities and efforts to influence public opinion.

The documents also reportedly indicate that nearly 1,500 social media accounts are being used to promote the Taliban’s narrative and discredit their opponents.

RSF’s examination of some of these accounts on X found that several publish identical or similar messages within minutes of one another. Others reportedly operate under female identities or present themselves as residents of Panjshir.

Taliban reject allegations

Hamidullah Fitrat, the Taliban’s deputy spokesperson, told RSF that Department 015 operates in accordance with the law and that no one is arbitrarily detained or subjected to mistreatment.

However, RSF said the testimonies collected from journalists, alongside documents gathered by the organisation and Human Rights Watch, contradict the Taliban’s claims.